This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Elko, Nev. • An air-ambulance plane taking a heart-disease patient to the University of Utah Medical Center crashed Friday in a parking lot in northern Nevada, killing all four people aboard and sending up explosions and flames.
Three crew members, at least one of whom worked in Utah, and a patient were killed in the Friday night crash in Elko, Nev., Reno-based American Medflight said Saturday in a statement.
The twin-engine plane crashed in a mining company's parking lot near a casino and other businesses near Elko Regional Airport and Interstate 80.
Reno-based American Medflight did not immediately respond to email and telephone requests for comment, but President John Burruel said in a statement that the company was cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration as they investigated the crash.
"As an air medical family, we are mourning the loss of our crewmembers and patient. Their families have been notified and they are in our thoughts and prayers," Burruel said.
Elko Police Chief Ben Reed identified the patient on board as Edward Clohesey of Spring Creek, Nev. The three crew members, Reed said, were Jake Shepherd, Tiffany Urresti and the pilot, Yuji Irie.
Shepherd was the medic on the flight from Elko and worked part-time in ambulance service in Tooele County, said Becky Trigg with Mountain West Medical Center.
Debbi and Jim Urresti, of Elko, said their daughter, Tiffany, was 29 years old and a former hospital emergency room nurse who dreamed for years of working as a flight nurse. Urresti achieved her dream, starting work for American Medflight two months ago, and was engaged to be married in May.
"She found the love of her life," Debbi Urresti said.
She also worked as a volunteer firefighter with the Elko Fire Department, Reed said.
Reed said the plane was in the air for about one minute before a mechanical issue caused operations to fail.
"It had just taken off," Reed said. "It fell out of the sky, lost all of its power."
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said nobody on the ground was hurt, which Reed called a miracle given that the spot is a "busy commercial and residential area." Seven cars on the ground were burned.
"There was not a lot left of the aircraft," Elko Fire Chief Matt Griego said after the flames were extinguished.
A photograph published by the Elko Daily Free Press showed mostly burned wreckage on pavement in front of a line of vehicles, including at least one charred pickup. The plane's tail was one of the few recognizable parts.
Dr. Rodney Badger of Northeastern Nevada Cardiology told the Daily Free Press that the plane had just taken off from the nearby airport.
Badger said his patient suffered from coronary artery disease and was experiencing chest pains and rapid heartbeat around 5:30 p.m., after which the decision was made to transport him to Utah.
—Tribune reporter Courtney Tanner contributed to this story.