Mercy Flight helicopter makes hard landing in Canandaigua; passengers safely rescued

CANANDAIGUA, NY — A Mercy Flight helicopter was forced to make a hard landing near Canandaigua Airport Thursday evening, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

Officials reported that all three occupants exited the helicopter safely. There were no patients on board, according to a statement from Mercy Flight Central.

According to the sheriff’s office, the preliminary investigation revealed that the helicopter encountered a malfunction while returning from a mission at 8:07 p.m., resulting in a hard landing at the Mercy Flight property adjacent to the airport on Brickyard Road in Canandaigua.

The New York State Police and the Canandaigua Fire and Rescue Department assisted police. The investigation is ongoing.

Mercy Flight Central issued the following statement Thursday evening:

“On September 19, 2024 at approximately 8:03 p.m., one of Mercy Flight Central’s AW119MKII aircraft encountered a hard landing on Brickyard Road in Canandaigua while returning to base. After landing, the three people on board, a pilot, flight nurse and flight paramedic, safely exited the aircraft. Fortunately, no one was injured and all are safe. One patient was not on board. At this time, we have no information on what caused the hard landing. We will begin our investigation and provide updates as they become available. We are immensely grateful for the emergency response this evening and for the entire community’s concern for the well-being of Mercy Flight Central.”