A helicopter exploded mid-air after making contact with power lines above the Mississippi River on Thursday. These are the victims.

WEST ALTON, Mo. — Communities in Missouri and Illinois are mourning the lives of two men who died in the helicopter crash above the Mississippi River near West Alton on Thursday.

The Office of the Regional Medical Examiner covering St. Charles, Jefferson, and Franklin counties confirmed with 5 On Your Side on Friday that 35-year-old pilot Nicholas Ryan Fulton and 37-year-old lineman Michael Cody Curry were the ones who died in the crash.

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Nick Fulton is listed as the vice president of Excel Helicopters LLC, the same company that owned the aircraft that officials confirmed crashed on Thursday. Nick’s father, Tim, is listed as the company president.

“Nick followed in his father’s footsteps and began his aviation career with Excel Helicopters,” the company’s website said. “Along with being a Commercial Rated Pilot for the company, Nick also has managerial over-site in regards to many aspects of company operations: Maintenance, Procurement, Billing, Customer Relations, FAA Liaison, Company projects and Operations Coordinator.”

Nick and Tim started Excel Helicopters LLC in 2015. 

“He had a passion for flying the helicopter,” fellow Missouri Helicopter Pilot Tom Cline tells 5 On Your Side, “I think his kind of gift was the powerline. Working around powerlines. He was meticulous on how he flew.” 

Curry was a lineman and a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 702, sources told 5 On Your Side. J.F. Electric, Inc., an Edwardsville, Illinois-based company, previously confirmed that Curry was an employee.

Eyewitnesses at the scene said Curry was working to replace damaged aviation warning markers at the time of the crash, which are the orange spheres that signal the location of the semi-visible power lines to aircraft.

“The helicopter, all of a sudden, touched the power line and in two seconds, it wasn’t a helicopter anymore, it was a thousand pieces,” eyewitness to the crash, Wally Maier, told 5 On Your Side. “All you saw was a fiery ball that came across the river and landed on the Missouri-side barge.”