TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Power says a utility worker and a pilot have been killed in a helicopter crash.

Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the aircraft went down about 20 miles northeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuesday morning.

Alabama Power spokeswoman Anna Catherine Roberson says the utility worker and pilot who were killed were checking a transmission line.

She says the rugged terrain made it necessary to use a helicopter to inspect the line.

Bergen says the accident involved a McDonnell Douglas 369E helicopter. Authorities haven’t released the names of those killed.

The FAA is investigating, and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine the probable cause of the crash.

A call to Hiram, Georgia-based contractor Rotorworks, which owned the helicopter, wasn’t immediately returned.

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