The entire crew of a medical helicopter were killed in Kentucky in a crash on Monday evening, authorities have said.
An Air Evac Lifeteam (AEL) helicopter crashed in Owenton near state Highway 22 while on the way to pick up a patient, Kentucky State Police said in a press release.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the crash, with initial reports suggesting the helicopter hit a “guy wire” before the crash.
The three crew members were identified by police as Gale Alleman, Bethany Aicken and James Welsh.
A photographer takes aerial photographs of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming from a Bell 206L-4 helicopter. A similar Bell 206 helicopter fatally crashed in Kentucky on Monday evening.
Robert Alexander/Getty Images
Kentucky State Police were called to the crash site at around 5:30 p.m. local time on Monday.
The victims, who were based out of Grant County, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The helicopter was a Bell 206, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed in a statement.
Police are conducting the death investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the helicopter crash, police said.
AEL said it would work closely with the FAA and NTSB during the investigation.
“This was a terribly tragic accident, and our deepest sympathies go out to the employees’ families and friends,” AEL said.
“Our primary focus now is on supporting the families who were impacted, as well as our team members.”
“Critical incident stress management teams have been sent to assist our team members during this difficult time.”
A witness told WCPO he heard a distant “thump” while working on his car near Amigo Owenton restaurant.
Jay Thomas said there was a large emergency response and a convoy of first responders heading to the crash site.
“I know there’s going to be a lot of sad moments for their family,” Thomas said. “I know friends and family from the community, from the local area, I will be praying for y’all.”
Ernesto Hernandez, the owner of Amigo Owenton, told WLWT, that customers were on the patio of the restaurant when the helicopter crashed
“Everybody working, we heard a big explosion,” Hernandez said. “We come outside and we see a lot of dark sky, everybody wondering what happened.
Hernandez said there was an explosion and that he saw smoke and flames.
A preliminary accident and incident report by the FAA was released early on Tuesday, which said that the helicopter hit a “guy-wire” before the crash.
The helicopter caught fire after crashing, the report states.
The Owen Electric Cooperative said the crash caused a power outage.
Firefighters were deployed at the scene.
“A probable cause of the crash, along with any contributing factors, will be detailed in the final report, which is expected in 12-24 months,” said an NTSB statement
The NTSB called for anyone with information or surveillance video that could help their investigation to contact them at witness@ntsb.gov.
“Once on scene, the investigator will begin the process of documenting the scene and examining the aircraft.”
“Part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, maintenance records and the pilot’s medical records.”
“NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine and environment as the outline of the investigation,” the statement from the NTSB said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
