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Helicopter crashes near New Castle County Airport, pilot dies

Delaware State Police

A helicopter crash near the New Castle County Airport shortly before noon Thursday left one person dead.

According to State Police, the helicopter crashed into a drainage ditch in a grassy area behind the U.S. Post Office on Quigley Boulevard, about a mile south-southeast of the airport.

State Police say the crash killed the helicopter’s pilot, 37-year-old Michael R. Murphy from Franklinville, New Jersey.  Murphy, who was conducting what aviation officials called "approach training," was the only person aboard.

 

The Eurocopter medical evaluation helicopter involved was part of Penn Medicine's PennSTAR air transportation service.

 

There’s no indication yet what caused the crash, which also caused some minor damage to vehicles and buildings at the crash site near Quigley Boulevard.

 

The Delaware State Police, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.