This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
On December 1, 2019, a devastating plane crash occurred in South Dakota, claiming the lives of nine people, including two children, in blizzard-like conditions.
According to local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration, the Pilatus PC-12, a single-engine turboprop, had been traveling from Chamberlain to Idaho Falls Regional Airport when the crash occurred just before noon local time.
Three people survived the crash and were transported to hospitals in Sioux Falls, S.D., about two hours east, but their condition was not immediately available.
The National Weather Service in Rapid City, S.D., had warned of white-out conditions for a significant swath of the state on Saturday, which officials said hampered the emergency response to the crash.
Theresa Maule Rossow, the Brule County state's attorney, praised the heroic actions of law enforcement, first responders, and medical professionals who rescued the victims in extreme weather conditions.
Accident investigators will be looking at the weather conditions, the pilot, and the aircraft to determine the cause of the crash, said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.
