Two people, including a Vietnam War veteran, were killed in a helicopter crash south of the Twin Cities on Saturday afternoon, federal officials said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the "aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances" near Airlake Airport in Lakeville, Minnesota, in its preliminary report. One member of the flight crew and one passenger were killed.

The Lakeville Police Department said its officers responded to the crash near Highway Avenue and 219th Street West around 2:45 p.m., finding no survivors.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. A preliminary report is expected within 30 days.

Flight records show the helicopter left Shell Lake, Wisconsin, Saturday morning and made three stops — two of them in Minnesota — before the crash.

Pilot identified as veteran, grocery store owner

Friends say 81-year-old Dave Schmitz of Spooner, Wisconsin, was the pilot during Saturday's tragedy.

"He was pretty well known in town because when planes would fly over, they'd say, 'Well, that's Schmitz,'" said Mike Breitenfeld, fellow Vietnam veteran and vice commander of the Spooner American Legion.

Schmitz was a Marine Corps veteran who flew helicopters in the Vietnam War. He even received the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism in the air. And when his tour ended overseas, Schmitz brought that skill and passion back to Spooner.

"Whenever we had a celebration in town for a rodeo parade and all that, he always flew his helicopter back and forth a few times. He was good for the community that way," said Breitenfeld.

Schmitz also ran the town's Economart grocery store for years, a family business his dad started in 1937. He was a father and a grandfather, and friends say he was always looking for his next flight, in a helicopter or a plane.

He was one of the co-founders of the T6 Thunder Flight Team, a group known for flying military aircraft in parades and events for veterans.

A member of the group said Schmitz had flown a helicopter in a veterans event in Jordan, Minnesota, on Saturday, and was on his way back to Wisconsin when he crashed in Lakeville.

"It's pretty shocking because he flew all the time, you know," said Breitenfeld.

He said Schmitz will be missed, but will always be remembered for serving his country and his community.

The second victim in the crash was identified as Robert Drallmeier, a 66-year-old from Glenwood City, Wisconsin.