Originally published on January 28, 2014
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Three people were killed when a helicopter hit a power line and crashed in Colorado on Monday (January 28).
The helicopter snagged a power line and crashed near Dry Hollows Road south of Silt, Colorado at around 11:18 a.m. Local pilot Doug Sheffer, owner of DBS helicopters based out of Rifle-Garfield County Airport, was among the three people who died in the accident.
Sheffer and DBS had been commissioned by Holy Cross Energy to perform a three-day survey to identify trouble spots on 250 miles of power lines as a part of an ongoing project to reduce power outages.
The helicopter crash-landed in a deep ravine not visible from the road, although witnesses were near the site when the crash took place, Garfield County Sheriff's spokesman Walt Stowe said in an Aspen Times report.
Following the incident, a roadblock was set up a mile north of the crash site, where only Holy Cross trucks and a DBS pickup were allowed access. The road reopened to traffic at around 3:30 p.m.
The accident took place 1.6 miles south of Silt, Colorado and caused major power outages in the area. Personnel from Holy Cross and Xcel Energy power companies have been sent to restore power to the affected area.
National Transportation Safety Board and FAA officials were expected to arrive on Tuesday to conduct the investigation.
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