Edward Clohesey, from Spring Creek, was being taken by American Medflight from Elko to the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City when the twin-engine Piper PA-31T air ambulance crashed Friday evening in a Barrick Gold Corp. parking lot.
The aircraft and several vehicles were destroyed, but no people on the ground were injured. The Sheriff said that one minute after taking off, the plane made a sharp turn and fell to the lot, which was filled with cars.
Captain Yuji Irie was an Ely Resident.
Edward Clohesey, the patient, was from Spring Creek.
Tiffany Urresti, 29, was a flight nurse from Elko.
Jake Shepherd, was a paramedic from Logan, Utah.
Yuji Irie, 63, from Ely, Nevada, was a Japanese immigrant to the United States, according to American Medflight. A statement from the company said:
He wanted to fly his entire life, and never stopped in pursuit of his passion. Indeed, he became a skilled aviator and had saved hundreds of lives over a long career at American Medflight. He was based in Ely, Nevada, the toughest base for inclement weather in the American Medflight system. Despite the fact that Ely often experiences some of the most challenging weather conditions in the lower 48 states, Captain Irie was always ready to fly patients to urban medical centers where they could receive life saving care. His skill as a pilot far exceeded even the best of aviators.
Yuji’s family was involved in travel and tourism. As a young man, he worked so hard that he often had little time to pursue his passion as an aviator. As soon as he had the chance in middle age, Yuji learned to fly and quickly built up his talent for aviation. He even bought a small airliner as a younger man in hopes of providing air tours for his travel and tourism business.
Having realized the huge financial obligations of owning an air carrier, Yuji eventually sold his airplane and went to work flying for others. He worked for several aircraft charter companies from Las Vegas all the way to the Mariana Islands in the South Pacific.
Captain Irie found his true life calling at American Medflight. He always was ready to go save a life and always found a way to safely transport his patients and medical crew regardless of the challenges he faced. He often noted that he wanted to finish his entire professional career as a pilot at American Medflight.
John Burruel, American Medflight’s President and CEO, remembered Yuji as someone who was unstoppable.
“I’ve always said that if I had 50 Yuji’s, this company would be unstoppable and we’d achieve anything we set out to do. He had the best work ethic I’ve ever seen and he cared for people with endless energy and compassion.”
Capt. Irie held an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and a First Class Medical Certificate, making him the most highly qualified pilot from both an airman certification and medical evaluation standpoint. He dreamed of building his own aircraft and someday flying it back to Japan. He began on this journey years ago, and his dream aircraft still sits in the garage of his son’s home in Las Vegas … waiting for that incredible flight across the Pacific to Japan.
Edward Clohesey a Spring Creek resident was a heavy equipment operator at Bald Mountain, which was sold by Barrick to Kinross Gold Corp. last year.
Tiffany Urresti, 29, was a flight nurse who had been with American Medflight for about a month, according to her parents Debbie and Jim Urresti. They said she had worked as an emergency room nurse at Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, in Elko, before that. Urresti also was a former firefighter.
Jake Shepherd was a paramedic for Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele County, Utah. Lt. Ray Clinton with the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office said that Shepherd lived in Logan and commuted to work. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. An agency spokesman says a preliminary report should be available in several days.
Elko had a community memorial vigil this past Monday evening to mourn the four people killed in the crash of a medical aircraft shortly after takeoff from Elko Regional Airport.
To remember Air Medical pilot Yuji Irie, paramedic Jake Shepherd, nurse Tiffany Urresti and their patient, Edward Clohesey.