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Helicopter Crashes in Travis County, Killing One

This map shows the area where a helicopter crashed around 12:25 pm today.

At least one person was killed after a small helicopter crashed this afternoon in the eastern Travis County community of Garfield. An eyewitness described the aircraft as having “disintegrated” mid-air, according to Austin-Travis County EMS spokesman Warren Hassinger.

“Fire rescuers and EMS personal arrived on the scene and pretty much confirmed that it was not a survivable crash,” Hassinger told KUT News. He said the victim was so badly burned that rescuers were unable to immediately assess a gender or approximate age.

Crews are conducting an aerial search of the area to determine if there is other debris or possibly other victims.

The crash happened at about 12:25 pm near the 3500 block of Victorine Lane, a road that runs off Caldwell Lane, about a mile north of SH 71.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion-dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on X @KUTnathan.