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Ellicott City Father & Daughter Among 5 Killed In Pa. Chopper Crash

NOXEN, Pa. (WJZ) -- Five people are killed in a helicopter crash. Two of the victims are a father and daughter from Ellicott City.

Pat Warren reports the helicopter went down Saturday night in northeastern Pennsylvania.

The helicopter left New York Saturday en route to Lehighton, Pennsylvania.

It is devastating news to this Ellicott City community. A helicopter crash in a remote area near Scranton killed 58-year-old Bernard Kelly and his 27-year-old daughter, Leanna.

"They were all great, a really great family and it's awful," said neighbor Skylar Neuworth.

Thirty-year-old David Ernest Jenny of Towson was also killed, along with a Virginia father and his three-year-old son.

Air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Rescuers found the wreckage Sunday, about a half hour west of Scranton.

"They knew about where that last beep was on the radar that was basically pinpointed to this area," an official said.

Thunderstorms were in the area at the time.

"Any time weather becomes a factor, you're messing with disaster," the official said.

Skylar Neuworth and her family live next door to the Kellys and grew up with the family.

"It's hard. It's really, really tragic. We're here for their family and I just feel really bad. It's tragic news. They're great people," she said.

The FAA is investigating.

In a statement, the Kelly family said, "The members of the family of Bernie Kelly and Leanna Kelly are devastated by their tragic and untimely loss, along with the loss of the other friends on board the helicopter that crashed in northeastern Pennsylvania this past weekend. We ask at this time of grieving that the media kindly respect the privacy of the Kelly family. We will therefore not provide any further statements or information at this time."

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