The local Navajo Police stated in a release that a "small twin-engine medical transport plane" crashed and caught fire near Chinle Airport around 12:40 p.m. local time (4:40 p.m. GMT) on Tuesday.

The statement confirmed that the aircraft was en route to transport a patient from a nearby hospital before the crash, which resulted in the deaths of all four individuals on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have launched an investigation into the incident to determine the cause, which remains unknown at this time. Authorities have also closed all access roads leading to the airport while the probe is ongoing.