4 dead in crash of medical helicopter in Central California

A patient, his nurse and doctor, and the chopper’s pilot all died when the SkyLife air ambulance went down on a foggy and rainy night, officials confirmed.

The crew didn’t make any distress call and it is still unknown how the crash happened. The patient’s identity hasn’t been released.

They were very well liked, these individuals. Air Ambulance told reporters.

The company was still trying to contact families of the victims, Valeri said.

He said there were no communications with air traffic controllers or dispatchers in the moments before the Bell 407 helicopter went down.

Valeri said, “People are absolutely devastated… It’s just so tragic and devastating”, Valeri said.

The crew worked for SkyLife, a medical transport service jointly owned by American Ambulance and Rogers Helicopters.

The people killed were the pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic and the patient.

He said his team is still gathering information on weather and mechanics and had nothing to say about how they have contributed to the Thursday night crash.

It is not known whether the bad weather caused the crash, or why the patient was being taken to the hospital.

The Fresno County EMS dispatch center lost contact with the helicopter at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. After checking with airport towers in Fresno and Bakersfield, the dispatch center notified Kern County authorities that the aircraft was missing and provided its last Global Positioning System reading east of McFarland.

A sheriff’s helicopter reported finding debris around 8:35 p.m. and rescue crews reached the site around 10 p.m., confirming the fatalities.