4 killed in Calif. medical helicopter crash

No obvious causes have presented themselves and no distress call went out from a medical helicopter that crashed and killed all four people aboard in Central California, authorities said.

An air ambulance out of Visalia crashed in an isolated area of Kern County Thursday night, killing the crew of three and the critically ill patient they were transporting, officials said.

Kern County Sheriff’s Office and Fire Department crews were unable to access the crash site for almost 90 minutes due to “immense fog and darkness”, Daniel Lynch, Central California EMS Director, told NBC News.

Todd Valeri, president of SkyLife and American Ambulance said, “This incident is absolutely tragic and has really hit home to our approximately 600 employees at American Ambulance”.

Thick fog and rain also made it hard for the search and rescue crews. The crew was experienced and had been working together for “quite some time”, Valeri said.

At 7:05 p.m., contact was lost with the helicopter, and it wasn’t until 8:35 p.m. that a debris field was located, Lynch said.

Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration issued several regulations aimed at making helicopter travel safer. They were headed to the San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield.

The power lines in the area did not appear to have an effect, Cawthra said.

Valeri said weather conditions are always a factor in such flights, but the crew would have checked the weather before lifting off.

Medical flights have repeatedly drawn safety scrutiny, including a 1988 NTSB study that found a need for safety improvements.