CHINLE — Four people are dead after a medical transport plane crashed near Chinle Municipal Airport on the Navajo Nation on Tuesday afternoon. Navajo Police and Apache County Sheriff’s Office escort the victims to the funeral home.
According to the Navajo Police Department, the crash occurred around 12:40 p.m. on August 5 when a Beechcraft King Air 300, operated by CSI Aviation of Albuquerque, went down shortly before it was scheduled to land. The twin‑engine aircraft was on its way to pick up a patient from the Indian Health Service hospital in Chinle and return to New Mexico. No patients were on board at the time.
Emergency crews, including Navajo EMS and Navajo Nation Fire & Rescue, responded within minutes after reports of black smoke rising from the crash site near Forest Road 7, adjacent to the airport. By the time responders arrived, the plane was engulfed in flames. All four occupants — two pilots and two medical crew members — died at the scene.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for our community,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a statement. “I am heartbroken to learn of the tragic plane crash near the Chinle Airport, which claimed the lives of four medical personnel who were non-local. These were people who dedicated their lives to saving others, and their loss is felt deeply across the Navajo Nation.”
CSI Aviation confirmed the fatalities in an afternoon press release, stating the company was “devastated” by the tragedy and is cooperating fully with investigators. The names of the victims have not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are working with Navajo Nation authorities to determine the cause of the crash. Investigators will examine weather conditions, mechanical records, and flight communications.
Medical flights are a critical lifeline for many Navajo Nation communities spread across 27,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, where advanced trauma facilities can be hundreds of miles away. The Chinle Municipal Airport is one of several key hubs for emergency air transport on the reservation.
