AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says three employees died after their helicopter crashed in a West Texas wildlife preserve.
The department says the group was surveying desert bighorn sheep in the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area near the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday when the helicopter went down.
The crash killed wildlife biologist Dewey Stockbridge, technician Brandon White, and veterinarian Dr. Bob Dittmar. The private pilot survived and was taken to El Paso for treatment.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Texas Game Wardens are investigating the crash. Gov. Greg Abbott called it a “tragic accident.”