A devastating helicopter crash along the banks of the Mississippi River left two contract workers dead Thursday morning when their helicopter struck active powerlines, then spiraled into a barge, and triggered a fierce fire. The incident occurred near East Alton, Illinois, on the Missouri side of the river, only 20 miles north of St. Louis.
No other injuries were reported and no one was present on the barge at the time of the crash, Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.
Emergency services rushed to the site just after 11 a.m. after reports of the crash. Eyewitness Adam Briggs, who filmed the aftermath, described the sequence of events, saying, “The helicopter was just working on these power lines, it hit the power line, blew up … the helicopter blew up and fell and crashed the barge and it’s exploding right now.”
The National Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was a smaller-model MD 369, with a company spokesperson for the power company stating that the helicopter was being used by Ameren’s contracting teams tasked with repairing tower lighting and marker balls on the electrical lines. “Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues,” the company said in a statement.
Deputy Fire Chief Matt Fischer of Alton said local fire crews quickly joined forces by boat and received support from a private tug, successfully extinguishing the flames, which had belched thick black smoke over the river. The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed that the river has since been closed to commercial traffic to facilitate the investigation and ensure public safety.
The collision prompted a response from over a dozen emergency agencies from both Illinois and Missouri converging on the scene, said Kyle Gaines of the St. Charles County Ambulance District.
Chief Rick Pender of the Rivers Pointe Fire District indicated the site lies about half a mile downriver from the Melvin Price Lock and Dam.
Recent String of Aviation Accidents Adds to National Toll
Thursday’s tragedy comes amid other recent fatal aircraft incidents across the United States. According to NTSB data reported as of Aug. 7, there have been 143 fatal and 616 non-fatal plane crashes nationwide this year.In North Carolina, a family of four lost their lives when their Cirrus SR22T private aircraft crashed on July 8, according to the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Meanwhile, a New Jersey skydiving accident hospitalized 15 and a June crash in Ohio killed six members of the Weller family.