Helicopter crash in Minnesota kills all on board

A helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a rural area of Minnesota on September 6 afternoon, leaving no survivors, officials confirmed.

The Robinson R66 went down around 2:45 p.m. in Lakeville, just west of Airlake Airport, roughly eight minutes after taking off from Sky Park Airport in Lydia, according to Lakeville Police and online flight data, Caliber.Az reports via Fox News.

“The preliminary information we have is the helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances and a post-crash fire ensued,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement.

Authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were on board the aircraft, which has capacity for a pilot and up to four passengers.

Flight tracking data showed the single-engine helicopter departed around 2:35 p.m. and was headed for Airlake Airport. It climbed to an altitude of about 2,000 feet before suddenly descending and crashing in a remote area near Highway Avenue and 219th Street West, approximately 25 miles south of Minneapolis.

Emergency responders arrived at the scene but found no survivors. The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the cause of the crash.

By Khagan Isayev