American Medflight has confirmed in a statement that three crew members and one patient died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from the Elko Airport Friday night.
"As an air medical family, we are mourning the loss of our crewmembers and patient. Their families have been notified and they are in our thoughts and prayers," said American Medflight President and Chief Executive Officer John Burruel. "Our priority at this time is to look after the well being of the affected family members and their co-workers and to be responsive to their needs. We ask the media and interested parties to be patient with the investigation process and honor the privacy of the family and friends of those who have lost their lives."
The victims have been identified as crew members Jake Shepherd, Tiffany Urresti and pilot Yuji Irie. KUTV in Salt Lake City reports they were transporting a heart patient to the University of Utah who has been identified as Edward Clohesey.
Statements about Shepherd, Urresti, and Irie along with information on memorial services can be found at the bottom of this article
American Medflight is a fixed-wing air ambulance company based in Reno. The plane was transporting a patient from Elko to the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City
Elko Police chief Brian Reed told the Associated press that one minute after taking off, the plane made a sharp turn and fell to the Barrick Gold Corp. parking lot, which was filled with cars but no one on the ground was injured.Â
"There was not a lot left of the aircraft," said  Elko Fire Chief Matt Griego.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson Allen Kenitzer confirms that the plane was a Piper PA 31 aircraft. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
The crash happened in a parking lot where miners are bused to the Barrick Mine near Carlin. The buses had not arrived in Elko when the crash happened and they were routed to the East End Mall. Several vehicles were on fire after the crash.
The owner of Sierra Java on Mountain City Highway witnessed the aftermath of the plane's impact.
“I heard a bang and then I looked out the window and saw some fire and started to see other vehicles going up in flames. Some explosions," said Sierra Java owner Chet Gilbert.
Mountain City Highway was closed while crews responded to the crash. Nearby residents were also asked to evacuate their homes.Â
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According to American Medflight, there will be a vigil in Elko, Nevada on Monday at 7:30 pm at Angel Park, and Tiffany Urresti and Jacob Shepherd's families will be in attendance.
They say Tiffany Urresti's funeral services will be held Saturday, November 26th at the Elko Convention Center in Elko at 2pm. The family is asking that instead of flowers, donations be made in her name to a scholarship set up at Elko High School for a student pursuing a degree in Nursing, EMS or Firefighting.
Jacob Shepherds funeral is scheduled for Monday, November 28th in Tooele, Utah. They do not know the place or time of the service.
They are unsure of the arrangements being made for Yuji Irie.Â
American Medflight will be having a memorial service for everyone in the next few weeks. They say their focus right now is to be there for the families and to make sure their needs are taken care of before moving forward.
American Medflight says they will update their Facebook page when they have more information on any of these services.
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The Elko Firefighters Association posted to Facebook, honoring and remembering Tiffany Urresti. They wrote:Â
As we try to make sense of this whole incident it is evident that the Elko Fire Department will be forever changed. We lost a member who will be forever in our hearts, please remember her family in your thoughts, prayers, and actions. Tiffany Urresti you will not be forgotten!Â
A GoFundMe page was set up for the family of Jake Shepherd. It says that he leaves behind a wife and three kids. Read more on that page here. The Tooele County Sheriff's Office posted to Facebook offering condolences:Â
Prayers to our EMS family and to all families of those that lost their lives in Elko yesterday. Jake Shepherd, you will be missed within our community. Thank you for your services.?
The Sunday following the crash American Medflight released a statement honoring Captain Yuji Irie, one of the four people killed in the accident. He's pictured in the photograph to the right with an American Medflight nurse who was not involved in this tragedy. Read their full statement about Captain Irie: Â
Yuji Irie was a Japanese immigrant to the United States. He wanted to fly his entire life, and never stopped in pursuit of his passion. Indeed, he became a skilled aviator and had saved hundreds of lives over a long career at American Medflight. He was based in Ely, Nevada, the toughest base for inclement weather in the American Medflight system. Despite the fact that Ely often experiences some of the most challenging weather conditions in the lower 48 states, Captain Irie was always ready to fly patients to urban medical centers where they could receive life saving care. His skill as a pilot far exceeded even the best of aviators.Â
Yuji's family was involved in travel and tourism. As a young man, he worked so hard that he often had little time to pursue his passion as an aviator. As soon as he had the chance in middle age, Yuji learned to fly and quickly built up his talent for aviation. He even bought a small airliner as a younger man in hopes of providing air tours for his travel and tourism business. Having realized the huge financial obligations of owning an air carrier, Yuji eventually sold his airplane and went to work flying for others. He worked for several aircraft charter companies from Las Vegas all the way to the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific.Â
Captain Irie found his true life calling at American Medflight. He always was ready to go save a life and always found a way to safely transport his patients and medical crew regardless of the challenges he faced. He often noted that he wanted to finish his entire professional career as a pilot at American Medflight. John Burruel, American Medflight's President and CEO, remembered Yuji as someone who was unstoppable. "I've always said that if I had 50 Yuji's, this company would be unstoppable and we'd achieve anything we set out to do. He had the best work ethic I've ever seen and he cared for people with endless energy and compassion". Captain Irie held an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and a First Class Medical Certificate, making him the most highly qualified pilot from both an airman certification and medical evaluation standpoint. Captain Irie dreamed of building his own aircraft and someday flying it back to Japan. He began on this journey years ago, and his dream aircraft still sits in the garage of his son's home in Las Vegas...waiting for that incredible flight across the Pacific to Japan.
Channel 2 News will continue to update this story.Â
The crash happened in the parking lot near where I-80 meets State Route 225 in Elko.Â
