FRESNO, Calif., Dec. 11 (UPI) — Four people aboard a medical transport helicopter, including a patient, died when the aircraft crashed amid thick fog and heavy rain while traveling to a hospital.
The pilot, a nurse and a paramedic also died when the SkyLife air ambulance crashed in central California. The aircraft was traveling from Porterville Municipal Airport with a critically ill patient to Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield when it crashed, officials said.
“We have a gather of our — we call it the SkyLife family. The people who work at SkyLife are a very close knit group. Tonight we’re gathering and consoling each other, and sharing memories,” American ambulance CEO Todd Valeri said.
The names of the dead are being withheld pending family notification.
The Fresno County EMS dispatch center lost contact with the helicopter at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. Officials said the weather may have played a factor in the crash. The crew was experienced and had been working together for “quite some time,” Valeri said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash, officials said.
