A medical helicopter crashed in Mississippi on Monday, killing a pilot and two hospital workers on board, officials said.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jacksonville uses the helicopter, which is based out of the southern city Columbus, for air transports, the hospital said in a statement. The helicopter “had an accident” in a rural area not far from its base, according to the hospital. Two crew members on board were employed by the medical center, and the pilot was from Med-Trans, the company that owns and operates the helicopter. No patients were on board.
The helicopter was returning to Columbus from a patient transport when it crashed in Madison County at around 12:30 pm, killing everyone on board, the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s vice chancellor for health affairs, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, said at a press conference.
“The entire Medical Center family is heartbroken over this,” Woodward said.
Melanie Thortis / AP
This was the first crash in the 29 years that the AirCare emergency services have been operational, according to a statement from the university. The school did not offer a reason for the crash but said that the Federal Aviation Administration and other authorities were investigating.
Families of the three victims were notified, but authorities didn’t release names to protect privacy.
“It’s a tragic reminder of the risks Mississippi’s first responders take every day to keep us safe,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on Facebook. “Our state will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes.”
The accident is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, according to the hospital.
In January, three members of an air ambulance crew were killed when their helicopter crashed in Oklahoma. A dead goose was found in part of the flight control system of the aircraft, according to a preliminary report released last month by the NTSB.