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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 Twitter @KUTnathan.