Six killed as Vietnam-era helicopter crashes in US

• Vietnam-era helicopter crashes in West Virginia, killing all six people on board.
• The Bell UH-1B, nicknamed the “Huey,” was developed in the 1950s and widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War.
• The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

A Vietnam-era helicopter that has appeared in films such as “Die Hard” crashed in the US state of West Virginia, killing all six people on board, according to authorities and local media,

Officials in Logan County, where the Bell UH-1B helicopter crashed, said the Route 17 highway had been closed due to the crash, and the National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that investigators were on their way to the scene.

The helicopter crashed “around 5 p.m. local time Wednesday. Six people were on board,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in an email to AFP on Thursday.

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“The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.”

Ray Bryant, chief of operations for the Logan Emergency Ambulance Authority, told AFP that all six were killed.

The helicopter, which was based at a nearby airport and used for tourist flights, was in flames when rescuers arrived, Bryant told local television station WSAZ, adding that the cause of the accident was not known.

The Bell UH-1B, nicknamed the “Huey,” was developed in the 1950s and widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War.

According to the FAA, that helicopter was manufactured in 1962.

NBC reported that the helicopter was being used as part of an event for historical enthusiasts at the Marpat Aviation training school in Logan County.

According to the Marpat website, the helicopter arrived in Vietnam in 1962, and flew with a military unit known as “The Knights of the Sky” until 1971, when it was returned to the United States.

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“Now, she’s quite probably the oldest flying Huey in the world,” the Marpat website said, adding that the helicopter had appeared in several movies including “Die Hard,” “The Rock” and “Outbreak.”

Local resident Bobbi Childs told WSAZ she called emergency services and then rushed to the scene.

“I ran as fast as I could go… and I went up to the helicopter, but the fire was just so hot, so intense,” she said.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said in a tweet that he and his wife were “praying for the families of those killed in this tragic helicopter crash.”

Cathy and I are praying for the families of those killed in this tragic helicopter crash. https://t.co/4yXkQVIpYf

— Governor Jim Justice (@WVGovernor) June 23, 2022