Stagecoach, Nevada: 5 people killed in Nevada medical plane crash identified

CNN
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Five people who were killed on Friday after medical plane crashed in Western Nevada, according to GoFundMe fundraisers, which the company confirmed to CNN.

The plane, which was bound for Salt Lake City, Utah, took off from Reno around 9:45 p.m. and had been in the air for about 14 minutes when it appeared to break down mid-flight and crash near Stagecoach, National Transportation Safety Board ( NTSB). ) said.

All five people on board were killed. Among them were the pilot of the aircraft, a nurse and a paramedic, as well as a patient and a member of the patient’s family. according to Care Flighta service provided through REMSA Health.

“We are heartbroken to announce that we have received confirmation from the Central Lyon Fire Department that none of the five people on board survived,” the organization said in a Facebook statement early Saturday. “We are in the process of notifying their family members.”

The pilot was identified as Scott Walton, according to Walton’s sister-in-law, who arranged Fundraising GoFundMe. According to GoFundMe, Walton was a flight instructor and the father of three girls.

“Now his loving wife and three young daughters, who were the center of his world, are forced to go into the future without him. He loved them more than anything in the world. And we know his only, desperate worry will be their future,” Katie Maguire, Walton’s sister-in-law, said on GoFundMe.

Maguire said he was “an exceptional pilot of the highest order” and briefly worked as a flight instructor teaching students around the world. “We have no doubt that everything that happened during the flight was irreversible and that Scott did everything he could to keep everyone on board safe,” Maguire added.

According to records, the flight’s paramedic was identified as Ryan Watson. GoFundMe created by a friend of Watson’s wife.

Savannah Greene, who organized GoFundMe on behalf of Watson’s wife Kaylee, called him a “loving husband.”

Green said he was a new father and was “an incredible service provider whose dedication to his family and community was second to none.” According to the fundraiser, Kaylee gave birth on January 19th.

“Ryan enjoyed being a flight medic and was positive about every call and interaction with a patient,” Greene said. “Ryan had an infectious personality; he was cheerful, ambitious and a free spirit.”

The plane’s nurse has been identified as Ed Funky. GoFundMe hosted by Klein Calvo on behalf of Ed’s wife, Lauren.

Calvo wrote on the page that Ed was a veteran and CrossFit athlete who loved his family.

“Ed leaves Lauren, the love of his life for 12 years, his daughter Riley (age 4), his son Everett (age 2) and his golden retriever Rip,” Calvo said.

The patient being transported on this flight was identified as Mark Rand, and his wife Terri was also on board. GoFundMe organized for the family.

“Mark was on his way to Utah for treatment to save his life. What should have been a saving grace ended in tragedy for the Rand family and the families of the crew and lifeguards on board,” said Misty Grunmay, Rand’s GoFundMe organizer. “Mark and Terry were big hearts, family oriented, proud parents and grandparents. Now the Rand family is coming together to decide how to move forward.”

CNN contacted REMSA Health, the company that provided the medical flight.

NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said at a press conference on Sunday that the flight, operated by Guardian Flight, left Reno on its way to Salt Lake City at approximately 9 p.m. local time.

The plane had been in the air for about 14 minutes and reached an altitude of just over 19,000 meters when radar spotted the plane making a right turn at a high rate of descent, Landsberg said.

The latest radar response indicated that the aircraft was at an altitude of 11,000 meters. “At this point, we have evidence that the plane crashed in flight,” Landsberg said.

Several parts of the aircraft were recovered, Landsberg said, but the aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recording system or combat data recorder.

Care Flight reported Saturday that the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department and the Central Lyon Fire Department are coordinating with the NTSB to determine the cause of the crash.

Authorities in the district of Lyon, which includes Stagecoach, received several calls about a possible plane crash around 9:15 p.m. Friday. First responders from Lyon and Douglas counties arrived and located the aircraft around 11:15 pm.

Landsberg said an 11-person team from the NTSB would be on site for several days to gather evidence.

He said the agency would focus its investigation on the pilot, the aircraft, maintenance reports, fuel on the aircraft, weather conditions (icing and moderate turbulence were reported), the company’s dispatch procedures and its general policies.

According to Landsberg, a preliminary report will be ready in the next two weeks.

REMSA Health is currently in what it calls “passive termination” for all flights across the company, adding that it intends to work with internal operations to determine when services can resume.

The stagecoach is located about 25 miles southeast of Reno.