Person killed after ‘home-built type’ helicopter crashes near Andale
One person is dead after a “home-built type” helicopter crashed in western Sedgwick County Friday morning.
The crash was reported just after 8 a.m., and emergency crews were dispatched to 5715 North 255th Street West, just southwest of Andale, Sedgwick County Sheriff public information officer Nathan Gibbs said.
“There’s one confirmed dead. We don’t have an identification yet,” Gibbs said. “The (Federal Aviation Administration) is on the scene investigating.”
In response to an Eagle inquiry, an FAA spokesperson confirmed that only the pilot of the helicopter was onboard when it went down. Spokesperson Brittany Trotter described it as a “Scorpion 133 helicopter,” a small aircraft often sold as a kit for self-assembly.
“It sounds like it was an experimental that was built by — well, I don’t know if it was built by the deceased yet because they haven’t completely identified him, but it was like a home-built type thing,” Gibbs said.
Trotter said the National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation and the FAA will assist. The Kansas Highway Patrol was also on the scene Friday morning.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
