Prineville, Ore. – A small light helicopter crashed late this morning near the Prineville Airport. Officers from the Prineville Police Department, Crook County Sheriff’s Office, along with Crook County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene. The FAA and NTSB have reportedly been informed, according to Sgt. Sanchez with the CCSO.
Prineville Police Chief Jeff Profio spoke on the scene with the Prineville Review and confirmed there was a pilot and a passenger on board the helicopter, but did not immediately have additional details. He reported they received numerous 911 calls reporting the crash at about 11:35am. Profio was unable to confirm if there were any witnesses to the crash.
“Our units responded along with the [Crook] County Sheriff’s Office units, and we located the crash wreckage, which was south of southwest Houston Lake Road, in the area of the County landfill,” said Profio.
He confirmed that the crash victims’ injuries were severe and that both were transported via lifelight to St. Charles in Bend.
“The aircraft seems to be privately owned as far as we can tell,” Profio confirmed.
Shortly after speaking with Profio, the Prineville Police Department and FAA released respective press releases.
“The scene has been secured, and there are no known ongoing hazards or threats to public safety. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and will take over the investigation,” said a subsequent press release from Prineville Police and sent out by Stingray Communications, a public relations firm hired by the City of Prineville.
“Emergency responders found two individuals at the crash site, an 80-year-old male pilot and a 46-year-old male passenger. Both sustained serious injuries and were treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospitals in Bend. Their current conditions are unknown.”
According to FAA spokesperson Steve Kulm, the FAA will be investigating the crash and did provide initial details on the type of helicopter.
“An Aerocopter AK1-3 crashed near Prineville, Oregon, on Saturday, May 17. Two people were on board. The FAA will investigate,” said Kulm in an email sent to and shared with us by KTVZ.
According to the statement, a preliminary accident report is expected within a day. A full NTSB report typically takes 1-2 years to be completed.
Note: This story was updated after the initial publication to include additional details as we learned it from officials and the FAA. We will continue to bring you more as we learn it.
