Three people were killed and four critically injured when a helicopter touring through the Grand Canyon National Park crashed and exploded in a fireball, officials told ABC News.

As investigators tried to figure out what caused the crash of the Papillon aerial-touring company helicopter -- which was carrying a pilot and six tourists from the United Kingdom -- a witness described to ABC News watching in disbelief as one of the survivors walked out of the flames.

Teddy Fujimoto

Witness Lionel Douglass, who was attending a wedding on a bluff about 1,000 yards away from where the helicopter crashed and exploded, said the scene reminded him of the biblical story of when Jesus rescued Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego from a fiery furnace they were cast into by King Nebuchadnezzar.

"I had taken my phone and I was zooming in to see if I could see anybody and a lady walked out of the flames and I just lost it," Douglass told ABC News.

The helicopter "sustained substantial damage" when the crash occurred "under unknown circumstances" in the Quartermaster Canyon area of the immense wilderness wonderland on Saturday afternoon, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer told ABC News.

Kenitzer said the helicopter crashed about three miles east of the Grand Canyon West Airport in Peach Springs, Arizona.

Teddy Fujimoto

Video taken by witnesses shortly after the crash and posted on Twitter showed the helicopter engulfed in flames and black smoke, surrounded by sage and cactus at the bottom of a steep, rocky canyon.

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said the crash occurred at 5:20 p.m. local time, with six passengers from the United Kingdom and the pilot on board. He said the helicopter tour originated in Boulder City, Nevada.

Bradley said a storm was rolling into the area around the time of the crash. He said weather conditions were "not normal," but no flight restrictions had been imposed.

He said the crash occurred in an area with extremely rugged terrain and that initial rescue efforts by emergency helicopter were hampered by gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Bradley said rescuers had to hike into the area and that they didn't get everyone out of the wreckage until about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Douglass told ABC News that he saw the helicopter plummet from the sky after doing two complete circles as if the pilot was searching for a spot to set the aircraft down.

"It happened so fast. When I saw them turning, I wasn't sure what he was doing and by the time I yelled to everybody to turn around and look, it was all out of control," Douglass said. "It fell down between the mountains, the tail broke in half, it hit the bottom and it was the biggest explosion you ever heard and then flames like you never seen before."

He said the initial explosion was followed by five or six others.

Teddy Fujimoto

He said the woman who staggered out of the flames appeared to be disoriented. Once out of harm's way she collapsed to the ground and began screaming the name Jason.

It is unclear if the pilot is among the injured or deceased.

The four who survived the crash were taken by rescue helicopter to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada and remained in critical condition Sunday evening, hospital spokeswoman Danita Cohen told ABC News.

According to Papillon's website, it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year over the Grand Canyon and on other tours.

"It is with extreme sadness we extend our heartfelt sympathy to the families involved in this accident. Our top priority is the care and needs of our passengers and our staff," Brenda Halvorson, chief executive officer of the helicopter touring company's parent company, Papillon Group, said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

Halvorson said the company is cooperating with the National Transportation Safety Board and local authorities investigating the crash.

ABC News' Rex Sakamoto and Lucien Bruggeman contributed to this report.</s>PHOENIX -- A tour helicopter carrying seven people on board crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people and injuring four others.

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon, Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said, according to CBS affiliate KPHO-TV. The four who were injured were level 1 trauma patients and were being treated at the scene.

An after-hours phone call and email to Papillion were not immediately returned Saturday. The company's website says it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year on Grand Canyon and other tours. It also notes that it "abides by flight safety rules and regulations that substantially exceed the regulations required by the Federal Aviation Administration."

Longtime helicopter crash lawyer Gary C. Robb represented a woman badly burned in a deadly Papillion crash at the Grand Canyon in 2001. He said the company has made big improvements since that crash.

"They've improved their piloting qualifications as well as their maintenance over the last 10 years and as far as I know they've not had a crash since 2001," he said. He said flying in the Grand Canyon can be treacherous simply because of the number of helicopters there.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the Eurocopter EC130 crashed in unknown circumstances and sustained heavy damage.

Robb said his heart went out to the victims.

"This is not just the fact that a helicopter crashed, this is a human tragedy. People died and were horribly injured. It's a tragedy for human beings," Robb said.</s>The Latest on a tour helicopter that crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people and injuring four others (all times local):

 

6:15 p.m.

 

The six passengers on a sightseeing helicopter that crashed during a tour of the Grand Canyon have been identified as British nationals.

 

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said on Sunday all six were British visitors. The six and a pilot were on board when the chopper crashed Saturday evening on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon.

 

Three people died and four were injured.

 

Hualapai Nation police Chief Francis Bradley tells the Arizona Republic that the pilot and three passengers were airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital early Sunday.

 

Authorities haven't released the names or ages of the victims.

 

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash.

 

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2:35 p.m.

 

The Nevada-based company whose tour helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people on board and injuring four others, says it cooperating fully with investigators.

 

Papillon Group CEO Brenda Halvorson said in a statement Sunday that the company is extending its heartfelt sympathy to the families involved in the accident.

 

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon.

 

She also says Papillon's top priority is the care and needs of its passengers and staff.

 

Halvorson says the company is cooperating fully with National Transportation Safety Board investigators and local authorities.

 

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1 p.m.

 

A witness to the aftermath of a deadly tour helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon says at least two of the people on board were women who were badly burned and bleeding.

 

Las Vegas photographer Teddy Fujimoto was shooting wedding photos at the time of Saturday's crash when he saw people running to the edge of a gulch. He says he followed and saw the black smoke from the helicopter wreckage.

 

Fujimoto says he then saw two women: One was covered in blood and bleeding from her neck. The other was burned all over.

 

Fujimoto says a few bystanders descended into the gulch to try to help the victims.

 

Four survivors were airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital on Sunday. Authorities say three other people died at the scene.

 

___

 

8:30 a.m.

 

Authorities say four people injured in the crash of a tour helicopter have been airlifted to a Nevada hospital and crews now are recovering the bodies of the other three people aboard who died.

 

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon.

 

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley says the survivors all were taken to a Las Vegas hospital as of 2 a.m. Sunday.

 

Authorities say the four were level 1 trauma patients.

 

The identities and nationalities of the seven aboard weren't immediately released.

 

Bradley says National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected at the crash scene by Sunday afternoon to begin investigating the cause of the crash.

 

___

 

8:30 p.m.

 

Authorities say a tour helicopter has crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people.

 

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillon helicopter when it crashed around 5:20 p.m. The other four were injured, and were still being treated at the scene.

 

An after-hours phone call to aerial tour company Papillon was not immediately returned Saturday. The company's website says it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year on Grand Canyon and other tours.

 

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the Eurocopter EC130 crashed in unknown circumstances and sustained heavy damage.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)</s>A Grand Canyon sight-seeing helicopter crashed at the bottom of a rocky ravine early Saturday evening, killing four people and seriously injuring three others, according to police.

Police Chief Francis E. Bradley of the Hualapai Nation Police Department said in a statement that the accident occurred around 5:20 p.m. local time near Quartermaster Canyon on the Hualapai Nation, a federally recognized Indian reservation in northwestern Arizona.

The survivors of the EC-130 helicopter wreck were all "Level One trauma patients," said Bradley, indicating the highest category of injury.

ABC News published photos showing black smoke emanating from the fiery wreckage below a steep gorge.

Rescue workers had difficulty accessing the scene, said Bradley, owing to "high winds, the darkness, and the extreme rugged terrain."

He added, "The only access to the crash site area is by foot on a 20-mile hike or by helicopter."

There were six passengers and one pilot on board, reports The Associated Press.

The chopper was with Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, which provides numerous tours mostly taking off from Las Vegas. The company says it operates the world's largest fleet of sightseeing aircraft, flying more than 600,000 passengers each year, and that safety is their "top priority."

In 2001, six people died and one person was badly burned in another Papillon helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon.

The AP spoke to Gary C. Robb, the lawyer of the lone survivor, who said the company's safety standards have gotten better since then.

"They've improved their piloting qualifications as well as their maintenance over the last 10 years and as far as I know they've not had a crash since 2001," he said.

Robb added that the sheer volume of helicopters in the Grand Canyon can make flying there treacherous.

Tourists thrill at the vast vistas and stunning sweeps of the tours, which can be guided through passenger-to-pilot communication via headset.

Investigators are looking into the cause of Saturday's crash.</s>GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) -- Authorities say a tour helicopter has crashed in the Grand Canyon, killing three people.

 

 Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion helicopter when it crashed around 5:20 p.m. The other four were injured, and were still being treated at the scene. 

 

 An after-hours phone call to aerial tour company Papillion was not immediately returned Saturday. The company's website says it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year on Grand Canyon and other tours.

 

 Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the Eurocopter EC130 crashed in unknown circumstances and sustained heavy damage.

 

 Federal authorities will investigate.</s>Four survivors of a tour helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon were airlifted to a Nevada hospital Sunday while crews were recovering the bodies of three others, authorities said.

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed under unknown circumstances around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon, which is near the Grand Canyon’s West Rim.

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said the survivors were taken to a Las Vegas hospital as of 2 a.m. Sunday.

READ MORE: Fees to enter 17 U.S. national parks could double or triple in 2018

Authorities said the four were level 1 trauma patients. The identities and nationalities of the dead and injured weren’t immediately released.

Bradley said National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected at the crash scene by Sunday afternoon to begin investigating the cause.

The Federal Aviation Administration also will be investigating the crash of the Eurocopter EC130, spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

Bradley said rescue crews were hampered by high winds and darkness Saturday night along with rugged terrain.

READ MORE: Rescue of stranded family from Grand Canyon called ‘a Christmas miracle’

“First responders had to be flown in and walk to the crash site,” he said. “Quartermaster Canyon is an extremely remote area. We had to call in specially trained crews – people with night-vision goggles.”

Calls and emails to Nevada-based Papillion for comment on the crash were not immediately returned Sunday.

The company’s website says it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year around the Grand Canyon and on other tours. It also notes that it “abides by flight safety rules and regulations that substantially exceed the regulations required by the Federal Aviation Administration.”</s>A helicopter tour in the Grand Canyon this weekend ended in a fiery crash, killing three of the seven people onboard and injuring four others, the police said.

The chopper from Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters was carrying six passengers and a pilot when it went down around 5:20 p.m. on Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon, the Hualapai Nation police chief, Francis Bradley, said, according to The Associated Press.

The names of the dead and injured were not immediately released. Four of the people injured sustained Level 1 injuries and were treated at the scene officials said.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesman, Allen Kenitzer, told The A.P. that the Eurocopter EC130 crashed in unknown circumstances and sustained heavy damage. Mr. Kenitzer told ABC News that the helicopter crashed three miles east of the Grand Canyon West Airport, which is in Peach Springs, Ariz.,

Images of the crash site online showed flames and black smoke shooting from a ravine.

The company’s website says it flies about 600,000 passengers a year on Grand Canyon and other tours. It also noted that it “abides by flight safety rules and regulations that substantially exceed the regulations required by the Federal Aviation Administration.”

Gary C. Robb, a lawyer who represented a woman badly burned in a deadly Papillion crash at the Grand Canyon in 2001, told The A.P. that the company had made big improvements since that crash.

“They’ve improved their piloting qualifications as well as their maintenance over the last 10 years and as far as I know they’ve not had a crash since 2001,” he said. He added that flying in the Grand Canyon can be treacherous simply because of the number of helicopters there.

Mr. Robb said his heart went out to the victims. “This is not just the fact that a helicopter crashed; this is a human tragedy. People died and were horribly injured,” he said.

The A.P. said a phone call and an email to Papillion were not immediately returned Saturday.</s>GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — Four survivors of a tour helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon were airlifted to a Nevada hospital Sunday while crews were recovering the bodies of three others, authorities said.

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed under unknown circumstances around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon, which is near the Grand Canyon's West Rim.

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said the survivors were taken to a Las Vegas hospital as of 2 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities said the four were level 1 trauma patients. The identities and nationalities of the dead and injured weren't immediately released.</s>Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion helicopter when it crashed at about 5.20pm.

The other four were injured, and were still being treated at the scene.

Aerial tour company Papillion says on its website that it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year on Grand Canyon and other tours. The firm has been contacted for comment.</s>Police say a helicopter has crashed at the Grand Canyon, killing three people. (Source: Raycom News Network)

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Four survivors of a tour helicopter crash in the Grand Canyon were being treated at a Nevada hospital Sunday while crews were recovering the bodies of three others, authorities said.

Six passengers and a pilot were on board the Papillion Grand Canyon Helicopters chopper when it crashed under unknown circumstances around 5:20 p.m. Saturday on the Hualapai Nation near Quartermaster Canyon, which is near the Grand Canyon's West Rim and about 60 miles west of Peach Springs.

Hualapai Nation Police Chief Francis Bradley said the survivors were airlifted to a Las Vegas hospital as of 2 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities said all four were level 1 trauma patients. The identities and nationalities of the dead and injured weren't immediately released.

"We are in the recovery and investigation mode now," Bradley told The Associated Press.

Bradley said National Transportation Safety Board officials were expected at the crash scene by Sunday afternoon to begin investigating the cause.

The Federal Aviation Administration also will be investigating the crash of the Eurocopter EC130, spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

Bradley said rescue crews were hampered by high winds and darkness Saturday night along with rugged terrain.

"First responders had to be flown in and walk to the crash site," he said. "Quartermaster Canyon is an extremely remote area. We had to call in specially trained crews - people with night-vision goggles."

National Weather Service meteorologists in Flagstaff and Phoenix said wind conditions were an estimated 10 mph with gusts of 20 mph around the time of the crash.

Calls and emails to Nevada-based Papillion for comment on the crash were not immediately returned Sunday.

The company's website says it flies roughly 600,000 passengers a year around the Grand Canyon and on other tours. It also notes that it "abides by flight safety rules and regulations that substantially exceed the regulations required by the Federal Aviation Administration."

In August 2001, a Grand Canyon tour helicopter operated by Papillon crashed and burned near Meaview, Arizona. The pilot and five passengers died.

An NTSB report issued in 2004 blamed the pilot's decision to descend too fast and too close to the scenic Grand Wash Cliffs.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A Papillon Tours helicopter crashes in the Grand Canyon in the Southwestern United States, killing three people and injuring the other four on board. The six passengers were all British citizens.