AUDUBON COUNTY, Iowa- The Audubon County Sheriff's Office is releasing the names of two men, killed in a helicopter crash last month. The pilot, 30-year-old Ryan Doolittle of Minneapolis, Minnesota and his passenger, 23-year-old Benjamin Peterson of Marshall, Minnesota, were killed when the helicopter crashed around 4:30, March 31st. Peterson worked for Western EcoSystem Tech and the two were performing an aerial wildlife survey of raptor nests when the accident happened, near 240th and Robin, near the Guthrie County Sheriff's Office.
The helicopter was a 2004 R44 Raven II, 4 passenger helicopter, registered to MN Helicopters, Inc of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and leased by Ride the Sky Helicopters, Inc. also of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The investigation is ongoing with the FAA and NTSB.