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UPDATE: (2/6/26 12:20 P.M. EST)Arizona Department of Public Safety officials on Friday identified the two crew members killed in a Bell 407 crash on Wednesday as aviation supervisor pilot Robert B. Skankey and trooper/paramedic Hunter R. Bennett.Col. Jeffrey Glover, the department's director, said during an afternoon news conference that Skankey joined DPS in 2021 and was promoted to aviation supervisor in 2024. He is survived by his wife and four children.Bennett joined the department in 2022 as a cadet state trooper. In 2024, he transferred from highway patrol to Western Air Rescue in Kingman as a trooper/paramedic. He leaves behind his wife. Col. Glover stated there was no gunfire from the Bell 407 during the incident. The Ranger helicopter was responding to an active shootout between police and a suspect at the time of the crash. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB. Officials said the Ranger helicopter involved in Wednesday's crash was last inspected Jan. 29. Glover said the department's aircraft are not outdated and undergo regular, rigorous maintenance checks.--------------------------------------(ORIGINAL STORY: 2/6/26 11:36 A.M. EST)A 2004 Bell 407 with the Arizona Department of Public Safety crashed on Wednesday in Flagstaff, Arizona, killing both the pilot and the trooper/paramedic on board.
The Ranger helicopter, tail number N56AZ, was providing aerial support in the response to a shootout between police and a suspect when it went down on the city's west side, near a BNSF Railway line, around 10:20 p.m. local time.
The pilot has been identified as Robert B. Skankey, a longtime resident of Kingman, Arizona, according to the Associated Press. Skanky served 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. The trooper/paramedic has been identified as Hunter R. Bennett.Video footage from a witness showed the helicopter spinning out of control before it hit the ground.
ADS-B data indicate that the helicopter entered a rapid climb, with groundspeeds reported as low as 4 knots, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Officers initially responded to a report of a man firing a semiautomatic rifle at law enforcement from rooftops. The standoff stretched for nearly two hours before the suspect was taken into custody, according to the Associated Press.
The FAA and the NTSB will investigate the cause of the crash.
A press conference is scheduled for noon EST on Friday.
We will update this story as more information is released.
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