One person was confirmed dead and no survivors had been located Tuesday night after a firefighting helicopter crashed in a marsh near Leesburg International Airport.
Personnel from Leesburg Fire Rescue confirmed the fatality in the incident that happened about 4 p.m. during a training exercise. A huge cloud of black smoke billowed above the airport after the Sikorsky UH-60 helicopter, also commonly known as a Black Hawk, carrying four people went down in what is being called a total loss.
Within minutes of the incident, a crash truck from the Leesburg Fire Department’s station at the airport responded to control the blaze and search for survivors. Personnel from the U.S. Forest Service responded to plow a line around the scene to prevent any vegetation fires.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, with the NTSB being in charge and providing updates. The FAA plans to release the tail number of the downed aircraft once investigators verify it at the scene.
Continue to check back with Leesburg-News.com for more updates.
