MARION COUNTY, Tenn. — A Tennessee state trooper and a sheriff’s deputy were killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday in Marion County near the Tennessee-Georgia border, authorities said.
Update 9:24 p.m. EDT Aug. 24: According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Sgt. Lee Russell of the department’s aviation division and Marion County Sheriff’s Detective Matt Blansett were killed when the helicopter they were riding hit crashed in a wooded area of Marion County.
“There are no words to describe the heartache and sadness our department is experiencing right now,” Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long said in a statement. “Sgt. Russell was an outstanding pilot but an even better person. We mourn with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department in the loss of Detective Matt Blansett. Both men were passionate about their jobs. This is a tremendous loss for the Tennessee law enforcement community. We ask for prayers of comfort for the families, our department, and the Marion County Sheriff’s Department during this dark and difficult time.”
National Transportation Safety Board investigators were on the scene Wednesday to investigate, WTVC reported. The Federal Aviation Administration will also investigate the crash, the THP said.
Blansett was also a county commissioner. As a Jasper resident, he served the District 2 area of Marion County, WKRN-TV reported.
Original report: According to WTVC and WKRN, the incident occurred about 3 p.m. on Aetna Mountain after the Bell 206 helicopter hit a power line near Interstate 24. The Federal Aviation Administration said the aircraft, which was carrying two people, crashed in a wooded area, WTVC reported.
In a news conference late Tuesday, Tennessee Highway Patrol Capt. Travis Plotzer said a trooper and a Marion County deputy died in the incident, WTVC reported.
“Today is a very tragic day for law enforcement,” he told reporters.
No further details, including the victims’ names, were immediately available.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the crash, according to the news outlets.