Fatal crash of medical transport plane in Navajo Nation in Arizona.

A small medical transport aircraft with two pilots and two health care providers crashed and caught fire on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, tragically resulting in the loss of four lives, as reported by the tribe. The Beechcraft King Air 300, operated by the Albuquerque-based medical flight service CSI Aviation, went down near the Chinle airport, about 300 miles northeast of Phoenix. The crash occurred while the crew, on a mission to pick up a patient requiring urgent care from a local hospital, was attempting to land. The patient's condition remains unknown. On Tuesday afternoon, reports of black smoke at the airport were received by tribal authorities, prompting an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to determine the cause of the crash. CSI Aviation expressed deep sorrow over the fatalities and is fully cooperating with the authorities. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren expressed his profound sadness at the loss of these individuals who dedicated their lives to helping others. The Chinle airport, one of several operated by the 27,000 square-mile Navajo Nation, is crucial for medical air transports due to the limited advanced care available in the region. This incident follows a recent fatal medical transport plane crash in Philadelphia, prompting increased scrutiny over aircraft safety.