Helicopter hits power lines and crashes; 2 dead

BEEKMANTOWN, N.Y. (FOX5NY.COM) - A helicopter hit some power lines and burst into flames in northern New York on Tuesday. Two people died and two more were hurt, officials said.

The Aerospatiale AS355F2 helicopter crashed at about 4:15 p.m. in Beekmantown, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border, according to the New York State Police.

Pilot Robert Hoban Jr., 56, of Shamang, New Jersey, and passenger Jeremy Kearns, 30, of Massena, New York, died in the crash, police said.

Benjamin McAllister, 30, of Hopkinton, and co-pilot Scott Fabia, 34, of Hyde Park, were hurt and are being treated at a hospital in injured and remained at the hospital in Plattsburgh, police said.

The New York Power Authority said the helo was "contracted to inspect power lines." The men on the chopper worked for Northline Utilities, a local contractor.

State Police, National Transportation Safety Board, and Federal Aviation Administration are conducting separate investigations.

Reported from New York City with information from the Associated Press and Fox News.