Investigators Sift Through Copter Debris

PHOENIX —  Federal investigators Saturday combed the wreckage of a sightseeing helicopter that crashed in a rugged area of Arizona near the edge of the Grand Canyon, killing six people and severely burning a seventh.

Officials of the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration searched for clues in the pieces of a AS350 helicopter carrying six family members and a pilot that went down Friday for “unknown reasons.”

“We usually have some word about what might have happened by now,” said Bruce Nelson, an FAA spokesman. “But we really don’t right now.”

Late Saturday afternoon, the six bodies were being removed by authorities.

The survivor, a 23-year-old New York woman, was listed in critical condition Saturday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said. She had burns over roughly 90% of her body.

The woman belonged to a family of Orthodox Jews from New York who booked a flight in Las Vegas for a tour of the area that included the Grand Canyon, authorities said.

The six people were reported dead at the scene, outside the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft lose altitude and plunge into a cliff.

The helicopter was operated by Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. The pilot was identified as Kevin Innocenti, 27, an experienced pilot who had been with Papillon for a year, the company said.

Papillon officials said the names of the passengers were being withheld at the family’s request.