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Two CareFlite crew members were killed this afternoon when their helicopter apparently lost its rotor, crashed and caught fire in Midlothian, authorities said.

The Bell 222 helicopter went down after taking off from its Grand Prairie hangar for a post-maintenance test flight, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Midlothian firefighters were in the area shortly after the 2:15 crash occurred near Highway 67 and Wyatt Road. They saw smoke from the wreckage, including about a one-acre grass fire that broke out, and responded to the scene, officials said.

“We immediately started to extinguish the fire, but there were no survivors,” said Midlothian Deputy Fire Chief Dale McCaskill. “The wreckage is pretty entangled.”

A CareFlite spokesperson said the two crew members were a pilot and a mechanic. They were not identified, pending notification of their relatives.

"We ask that you keep the families of those killed, and of all first responders in your prayers," CareFlite said in a statement.

The crash site is beyond heavy brush and a fence in an industrial area near two gutted, abandoned buildings from a former tire refurbishing company. Firefighters had to cut through a gate to get to the site, officials said.

The Midlothian Police Department is investigating. Officials with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA are also on scene.

CareFlite is the eighth-oldest medical air transportation service in the nation and the second-oldest in Texas, according to its website.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...ercrash700.jpg

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NTSB Identification: CEN10FA291
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, June 02, 2010 in Midlothian, TX
Aircraft: BELL 222, registration: N515MK
Injuries: 2 Fatal.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On June 2, 2010 at approximately 1400 central daylight time, a Bell 222U, multi-engine helicopter, N515MK, was destroyed after impacting terrain near Midlothian, Texas. The airline transport rated pilot and the mechanic, who were the only occupants, sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was owned and operated by CareFlite, Grand Prairie, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident and a company flight plan had been filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 return to service flight following maintenance that had been performed. The helicopter had departed the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport (GPM) Grand Prairie, Texas at approximately 1352, and had planned to return to GPM airport.

The helicopter was in cruise flight at approximately 600 feet above ground level (AGL) when several witnesses saw the tail boom and the main rotor system separate from the helicopter. The fuselage was destroyed in an immediate post-impact fire. The main rotor mast separated just below the head. The main rotor system including the hub and blade assembly, pitch change links, and walking beam assembly remained connected to the swash plate assembly and impacted terrain approximately 200 feet northeast of the main wreckage. The entire tail boom assembly separated just aft of the fuselage and impacted terrain approximately 400 feet northeast of the main wreckage.

The wreckage was removed to a secure storage facility for continued investigation.

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