Deadly helicopter tour crash happened less than a mile from Tanger outlet mall in Sevierville

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Officials say a sightseeing helicopter crashed near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee, killing all five people aboard.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said in an email that the Bell 206 helicopter crashed Monday around 3:30 p.m. near Sevierville. Officials said the tourist helicopter was destroyed by fire after the crash.

Pigeon Forge Police Chief Jack Baldwin says the helicopter appeared to have come down the side of a mountain and crashed at the foot of it.

The crash site is less than a mile from a large outlet mall (Tanger) in Sevierville and adjacent to a neighborhood off the main tourist drag. The site is about three miles from Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park.

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SEVIERVILLE, Tenn (WVLT) – Witnesses tell WVLT in Knoxville that they believe the victims survived the crash, but were burned in the fire that followed.

They describe a flash that consumed the area after the crash.

One witness says he saw the pilot stumbling on foot, on fire.

Smoke from the crash could be seen from the main drag through Sevierville.

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From Instagram Sky Squirrel Studio

“We were flying in Pigeon Forge, TN today. Very sad to hear of the lives lost locally in a helicopter accident.” #sympathy #pigeonforge #