A medical transport helicopter went down in a densely wooded area just outside Mississippi’s capital city, killing all three people onboard, officials confirmed.
The deadly crash occurred Monday afternoon in Madison County, near Mississippi 43 and the Natchez Trace Parkway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The aircraft — a Eurocopter EC-135 owned and operated by Med-Trans — had just dropped off a patient and was flying back to Columbus when it fell from the sky around 12:30 p.m.
The fatalities include the pilot and two crew members who worked for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, the center’s top administrator, said during a news conference. She added that no patients were aboard the helicopter at the time of the crash.
“The entire medical center family is heartbroken over this,” Woodward told reporters. “This is the crew that responds to emergencies all across the state, and to see them today to respond to one of their own was just something that you can’t put into words.”
None of the victims has been identified. They were all members of AirCare 3, one of four medical helicopter units operated by the medical center.
“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 cause of the crash was still unclear as of Tuesday morning and remains under investigation by the FAA and other authorities. The National Transportation Safety Board also said it was “launching a go-team to investigate” the incident.
It comes just more than a month after a medical transport jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing all six people aboard the plane and another person on the ground.
With News Wire Services
