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One person was killed and another injured when a helicopter crashed in East Tennessee.
Two people were on board at the time of the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed that the pilot of the Robinson R-44 helicopter was killed when the craft crashed near the Cocke-Sevier County line for "unknown reasons" Wednesday (December 29) afternoon, WATE reports. A passenger was injured during the crash, but the extent of their injuries has not been released.
According to the news outlet, the private helicopter took off from Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge Airport at 2:13 p.m. before disappearing from the radar in the mountains 8 minutes later.
Brandi Proffit, who lives near where they helicopter went down, recalled the moments before and after the crash, per WBIR.
"I was in my bedroom with the sliding glass door open to my balcony, and I head a helicopter that was very, very low to the ground," Proffit said. "Just minutes later, first responders were flying by the house."
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the crash.
This isn't the first time in recent weeks that a small craft has crashed in East Tennessee. Earlier this month, at least one person was killed when a single-engine plane carrying two people crashed south of Knoxville.