Report: Helicopter crashes on Pikes Peak while filming Audi commercial *UPDATE

Filed under: Etc., Audi, Volkswagen, Specialty

Audi Autonomous TTS Pikes Peak – Click above for high-res image gallery

A helicopter carrying four crew members filming a commercial for Volkswagen/Audi has crashed near the summit of the famed Pikes Peak Highway just west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County. The pilot is reportedly in critical condition, and three passengers are listed as stable.

Due to the location of the crash, a medical helicopter is unable to reach the victims, so crews are attempting to transfer the injured to nearby Crystal Creek Reservoir, which is the closest the medics were able to get. Hazmat crews have reportedly been dispatched to clean up a 150-gallon fuel spill from the crash.

According to KKTV in Southern Colorado, the crew was filming Audi’s driverless car as it navigated to the summit of Pikes Peak. Click past the break for a couple videos of Shelley, Audi’s autonomous TTS, in action. Thanks for the tip, Mason!

*Update: Audi’s official statement on the incident is pasted after the break.

Gallery: Audi Autonomous TTS Pikes Peak