Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Rucie Moore.

A helicopter crash Tuesday morning on the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation near Fountain Hills has claimed the life of a decorated pilot. 

Rucie Moore, a professor and helicopter program chair at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was killed in the crash.

Moore had been full-time faculty for a year in Prescott, previously serving as an adjunct professor for five years.

Moore was also a decorated helicopter test pilot for the U.S. Army.

The Embry-Riddle chancellor said, in a statement, Moore was a distinguished faculty member and outstanding pilot.

A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency will investigate to determine the probable cause of the crash.