2 Killed In Helicopter Crash With Barge Near IL Border: Authorities

EAST ALTON, IL — Two people were killed when a utility helicopter hit a barge Thursday on the Mississippi River near East Alton along the Illinois-Missouri border north of St. Louis, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly after 11 a.m. and involved a Hughes 369D helicopter, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which said two people were on board. The aircraft was a utility helicopter doing maintenance on power lines in the area when it struck a line and crashed onto the barge parked below, Cpl. Dallas Thompson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

KMOV published video of the scene taken by a viewer that showed a massive plume of black smoke rising from the barge.

Thompson confirmed that the two people inside the aircraft were killed and that there were no other reported injuries. The state patrol said no one was on the barge when the crash happened. The river has been closed to commercial navigation.

A spokesperson for the power company Ameren said a contractor and subcontractor had been repairing and replacing tower lighting and marker balls on lines.

“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with the victims’ families and colleagues,” Ameren said in a statement.

Illinois State Police said the crash technically occurred in Missouri, and that the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Illinois would be temporarily closed as a result of the incident. The collision happened about a half-mile downriver from the Alton Dam, said Rivers Pointe Fire District Chief Rick Pender.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, with the NTSB leading the investigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.