West Virginia helicopter crash: 6 dead after helicopter crashes into road near Route 17 in Logan County

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The Bell UH-1B helicopter crashed around 5 p.m., according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The helicopter, known as the Huey, crashed on a rural road, Sonya Porter, deputy director of the Logan County Office of Emergency Management, told CNN.

The Vietnam War-era helicopter was based at Logan County Airport and was used to conduct sightseeing flights, said Ray Bryant, chief operating officer for the Logan Emergency Management Authority, to CNN affiliate WSAZ.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, they discovered the helicopter had caught fire and extinguished the fire, Bryant said.

Bobbi Childs, who lives about a mile from the crash site, called 911 and rushed to the scene when she saw the helicopter begin to spiral out of control, she told the CNN affiliate, WSAZ. When she arrived, she saw at least one person trapped in the helicopter, which had caught fire, she said.

“I ran as fast as I could and got under the guardrail and up to the helicopter,” she told WSAZ. “But the fire was so hot, so intense, and this guy didn’t make it.”

After the accident, one of the owners showed up at the scene, Bryant told WSAZ, although he did not name the owner.

In a tweet wednesday nightGovernor Jim Justice said, “Cathy and I are praying for the families of those killed in this tragic helicopter crash.”

Logan County is located near the Kentucky border.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said.

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