Story ID: 
Seven Killed in Kenyan Helicopter Sightseeing Flight
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: Single-engine rotorcraft crashed near Mount Ololokwe
Word Count: 172
Six passengers and a pilot were killed when an Airbus Helicopters EC130B4 helicopter crashed during a sightseeing flight at Kirish near Mount Ololokwe in Kenya on Wednesday. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that an investigation is being conducted into the accident, which happened at 9:13 a.m. local time after the aircraft, operated by Lady Lori Helicopters, had departed from a wildlife area in Loisaba.
Five of the passengers killed were U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. State Department. Also on board was Michele Sensi-Contugi, who was the director of Ecuador’s Center of Strategic Intelligence and a member of President Daniel Noboa’s cabinet.
The single-engine EC130 (5Y-GYM) was part of a fleet that also includes some AS350B3 helicopters and Cessna 208B Grand Caravans. Lady Lori Helicopters, which is based at Wilson Airport (HKNW) in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, said it is cooperating with the official accident investigation. The flight was operated on behalf of a tour group called &Beyond.