A helicopter crashed near Pratt, Kan., June 11, 2023. Photo by Marion Cassidy.

A helicopter that crashed in Sunday afternoon in a wheatfield five miles south of Pratt, Kan., was operated by an Osage County company and registered to a local owner.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that a 1972 Bell 206B helicopter piloted by Nathaniel Taylor Brown, 38, of Georgetown, Kan., was starting to land around 2 p.m. June 11, 2023, when it ran out of fuel, causing the engine to shut off and the helicopter to crash. The pilot and passenger, Andrei Cherushnikov, 36, Renton, Wash., were reported to have minor injuries from the crash and were transported to Pratt Regional Medical Center. Witnesses said the helicopter occupants were able to get out of the wreckage and walk to the ambulance on a nearby road. KHP reported the accident happened near SW 50th Avenue and SW 10th Street or five miles southwest of Pratt.

A FAA preliminary report said the helicopter was substantially damaged.

FAA records indicate the helicopter is registered to John D. Scott, of Hawkeye Helicopter, based at Lyndon, Kan. Services offered by the company include aerial inspections of pipeline and power lines.

FAA records show the same aircraft was involved in another crash in 2012, at Valley Falls, Kan.

A helicopter crashed near Pratt, Kan., June 11, 2023. Photo by Marion Cassidy.