A quiet Saturday afternoon turned deadly when a helicopter plummeted from the sky in Lakeville, Minnesota, bursting into flames and killing everyone onboard.

A Fiery Descent

The aircraft, a Robinson R66 single-engine helicopter, went down around 2:45 p.m. on September 6, just eight minutes after taking off from Sky Park Airport.

According to Lakeville Police, there were no survivors. Authorities are still working to confirm how many people were onboard at the time of the crash.

“The helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances and a post-crash fire ensued,” the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in a statement.

Data from FlightAware shows the chopper reached an altitude of about 2,000 feet before suddenly plunging to the ground near Airlake Airport, roughly 20 miles south of downtown Minneapolis.

Wreckage and Investigation

The wreckage was discovered west of Highview Avenue near 219th Street West, in a rural area with no homes or businesses nearby. Authorities confirmed that no one on the ground was hurt.

Footage from the scene captured the aftermath, a fiery crash site surrounded by smoke and debris, with emergency crews racing to contain the blaze.

The NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will now lead the investigation. Specialists will examine the wreckage before removing it for further analysis, while officials appealed for any eyewitnesses to come forward with information.

Community in Shock

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office will release the identities of the victims in the coming days. For now, families across Minnesota are anxiously awaiting confirmation of their loved ones’ fates.

“There did not appear to be any survivors of the crash,” Lakeville Police said.

As the investigation continues, the community is left mourning the tragic deaths from a flight that lasted only minutes, a chilling reminder of how quickly the sky can turn deadly.