TOWN OF ELBA, N.Y. (WKBW) — On April 26 two people were killed when a Mercy Flight helicopter crashed in the Town of Elba in Genesee County.

The victims were identified as James Sauer and Stewart Dietrick. Both were 60-years-old. Sauer was an Afghanistan War veteran, a New York State Police civilian pilot and a pilot in the Army National Guard. He lived in Churchville. Dietrich was a Bell Helicopter flight instructor from Texas.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the crash Wednesday.

According to the report, it was an instructional flight being conducted by the helicopter manufacturer’s flight instructor with multiple flight reviews planned throughout the day and the crash was the second flight of the day. The report says a witness observed the helicopter “almost stationary” and heard a loud “bang” as it began to fly away and then the helicopter began to descend out of control. Another witness said the helicopter was hovering before it “fell apart."

The report says the wreckage path was about 1,900 ft long and oriented in a direction of 250 degrees and described the wreckage as follows: