UPDATE — EAA officials tell WHBY that two people are dead and two injured following a mid air collision between two copters on the south end of the EAA AirVenture grounds. At the same time, Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office says both occupants of T-6 Texan aircraft killed in crash in Lake Winnebago. One body recovered. Victims identified as a man in his 20s and a woman in her 30s.
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OSHKOSH — The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a mid-air collision between a helicopter and a gyroplane near Oskhosh, site of the the EAA AirVenture annual convention.
(Earlier: Airplane down in Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh; recovery efforts under way)
In a Tweet published about 2:30 p.m., the NTSB said it was investigating a mid-air collision between a Rotorway 162F aircraft and an ELA Eclipse 10.
The RotorWay Exec is described online as a two-bladed, skid-equipped, two-seat kit helicopter, manufactured by RotorWay International of Chandler, Arizona and supplied in kit form for amateur-construction.
The ELA Aviation ELA 10 Eclipse is a Spanish, two place, enclosed autogyro, designed and built by ELA Aviación of Córdoba, Andalusia, and is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.
No other details were made available by the NTSB.
The crash comes just hours after a two-seat, T-6 Texan trainer went down in Lake Winnebago just north of Oshkosh.
Recovery efforts for the plane and two passengers are ongoing as of Saturday afternoon.
The crash happened in the area of the the area of Asylum Bay Boat Launch, which is on the western shore of Lake Winnebago, north of Oshkosh, and authorities are asking people to stay away from the area.
The U.S. Coast Guard on Twitter said the plane was a T-6 Texan, which is a common two-seat trainer.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary and local crews on scene reported debris and an oil slick in the area.
The plane was reportedly maneuvering before rapidly descending from around 3,000 feet, according to the Coast Guard. Water depth is around 20 feet deep with poor visibility.
