5 dead, including patient, in medical flight crash in Nevada

All five people aboard a medical transport flight, including a patient, were killed in a plane crash Friday night in northern Nevada, according to an air ambulance company.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s office said authorities began receiving calls about the crash near Stagecoach, Nevada, around 9:15 p.m. and found the wreckage two hours later. Stagecoach is about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of Reno.

Care Flight, which provides ambulance service by plane and helicopter, said the dead included the pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a patient, and a patient’s family member.

“We are heartbroken to report that we have now received confirmation from Central Lyon County Fire Department that none of the five people on board survived,” the company said in a statement, adding that it is halting flights to focus on helping responding agencies, team members, and families.

The National Transportation Safety Board said Saturday morning on Twitter it is sending a seven-member team of investigators to the crash site.

NTSB identified the aircraft as a Pilatus PC-12 airplane. Federal Aviation Administration records show the aircraft was manufactured in 2002.

The crash occurred amid a winter storm warning issued by the National Weather Service in Reno for large swaths of Nevada, including parts of Lyon County.

The Weather Service said it was expecting heavy snow, wind gusts of up to 65 mph (105 kph), and periods of whiteout conditions between 4 a.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Sunday.