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Embry-Riddle Professor, Army Vet Dies In Helicopter Crash On Fort McDowell Indian Reservation

A helicopter crash Tuesday morning on the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation near Fountain Hills has claimed the life of a decorated pilot. 

Rucie Moore, a professor and helicopter program chair at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was killed in the crash.

Moore had been full-time faculty for a year in Prescott, previously serving as an adjunct professor for five years.

Moore was also a decorated helicopter test pilot for the U.S. Army.

The Embry-Riddle chancellor said, in a statement, Moore was a distinguished faculty member and outstanding pilot.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency will investigate to determine the probable cause of the crash.

Casey Kuhn was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2015 to 2019.