Care Flight Plane Crash Near Stagecoach Leaves Five Dead: Preliminary Report Released by NTSB

NEVADA – Five people lost their lives when a Care Flight plane crashed near Stagecoach in February, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The plane, a Pilatus PC-12/45, N273SM, was being operated as an air ambulance flight under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 by Guardian Flight LLC, trading as Care Flight.

The pilot and four passengers died when the plane crashed around 9:15 pm on February 24. The flight had departed from Reno-Tahoe International Airport and was heading to Salt Lake City International Airport.

The preliminary report stated that night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the crash, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed and activated.

The report found no further radio transmissions were received from the pilot after air traffic control instructed the pilot to climb and maintain flight level (FL) 250 and issued a caution for light to moderate turbulence.

Multiple witnesses reported hearing an airplane flying over their location followed by the sound of impact with terrain.

The wreckage was recovered and moved to a secure location for further examination.

The victims of the crash included a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, a Guardian Flight pilot, a patient, and the patient’s wife.

Credits: Fox Reno