Medical helicopter crashes in heavy rain, fog; 4 dead

A medical helicopter crashed amid heavy rain and fog in central California, killing all four people aboard, officials said.

The NTSB is leading the investigation of the crash that killed a pilot, a nurse, a paramedic and a woman they were taking to a Bakersfield hospital when the SkyLife air ambulance crashed, officials said.

The patient was in a critical condition when they left Porterville airport en route to San Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield.

The helicopter went down in dense fog in an area of mostly orchards near Sherwood Avenue and Highway 65, north of Bakersfield, a fire official said.

The Fresno County EMS dispatch center immediately contacted both airport towers after a routine safety call to helicopter crew was not answered.

The bad weather also made it hard for emergency crews to reach the site.

The aircraft was a Bell 407 and was reported overdue by its owner, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said. His team will take the wreckage to Sacramento for a long-term investigation, he said. President Todd Valeri said there was a social gathering Saturday night at which nurses, EMTs and others would undoubtedly grieve the loss of their co-workers. “We’re so thankful for the efforts of law enforcement and fire