Two pilots with U.S. Customs and Border Protection are alive after they walked away from a fiery helicopter crash on Wednesday afternoon.
The pilots were a teacher and a student who were doing training exercises at the Clarence E. Page Municipal Airport when the helicopter they were in hit the ground and burst into flames around 3:30 p.m.
“Our understanding is it went to the ground with them still in it, with it still on fire, and they got out on their own. I don’t know how far they got away from the wreckage, but when we arrived, they were a safe distance from it and [we] helped them to the ambulance and they were transported," Oklahoma City Fire Department Battalion Chief Benny Fulkerson told KFOR.
The two pilots were taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries, and they were released.
The crash happened in an empty field so no one on the ground was hurt and no additional property was damaged.
Firefighters quickly doused the flames, but the helicopter is now a heap of ashes. The only part that wasn't completely burned was the helicopter's tail.
Oklahoma City is home to the Border Patrol's National Air Training Center. The flat land and high winds help made Oklahoma City an ideal location to train rookie pilots before they fly full time for the Border Patrol, News9 reported.
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