Investigators say nearly two hours into its flight Wednesday, the tail of a Mercy Flight helicopter separated from the aircraft. The helicopter crashed in Elba, Genesee County just after 1 p.m. The tail rudder was found about 300 yards away from where the rest of the chopper crashed. James Sauer, 62, of Churchville was killed. Stewart M. Dietrick, 60, a Bell Helicopter Flight instructor pilot from Prosper, Texas was also killed. Representatives from the National Transportation Safety Board said it is still unclear who was flying the helicopter. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board talked to witnesses who report hearing a boom before the crash.The aircraft does not have a black box, but Bell, the manufacturer, is on scene helping to retrieve flight data. NTSB will be on scene another three to five days. Then, the wreckage will be moved to Delaware for further investigation. A preliminary report could come in the next two weeks.
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