FlightRadar24 data showed the aircraft took off around 11:52 p.m., made a sudden right turn about halfway through the trip, then headed back toward the airport before disappearing around 12:12 a.m.
The crash ignited a fire of less than 5 acres, with the U.S. Forest Service working to suppress it as search-and-rescue teams and state police coordinated recovery and investigation efforts.
Authorities have not released the victims' identities pending family notification, and the cause remains unknown as the NTSB and FAA were contacted to investigate.
The crash follows other fatal medical transport accidents in the region, including a 4-death crash near Chinle Airport in Arizona in August 2025 and a 5-death crash near Sierra Blanca Regional Airport in 2007.
With FAA oversight under scrutiny, could this crash signal deeper safety problems in American skies beyond this one tragic accident?
This medical plane crashed at 4 a.m. in the mountains. Are the risks of night-time emergency flights becoming too high?
Turboprop planes have a higher accident rate. Why do we rely on them for critical life-saving medical missions?