All three on the medical helicopter were killed when they came back from transporting patients and struck a densely wooded area outside Jackson, Michigan, hospital officials said.
The two were crew members who worked at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, while the other was a pilot, Dr. Rouen Woodward, the center's top administrator, said at a press conference. The helicopter was not carrying the patient during the accident, she added.
It was not clear why the aircraft identified by the Federal Aviation Administration as the Eurocopter EC-135 would lose control. The FAA said IT and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the collision that occurred around 1:15pm.
Authorities did not release the names of the three people who died. They were based in Columbus, Michigan, and were part of the Aircare 3, one of four medical helicopter units run by the medical center.
“All the families at the medical center are heartbroken about this,” Dr. Woodward said. “This is a statewide emergency crew and seeing them to see them today was something you can't put into words.”
Dr. Woodward said the aircraft helicopters and their crew were essential roles in providing critical care services throughout Mississippi, with clean safety records up to Monday's crash.
According to the information page on the medical center's website, crews often include nurses and paramedics. It is equipped with oxygen, ventilators and other critical care devices.
Dr. Woodward said the deceased pilot worked for Med-Trans, a company that leased aircraft helicopters to medical centers.
Med-Trans said in a statement that it lost contact with the helicopter when it returned from Jackson to a Columbus base.
The crash crash occurred more than five weeks after a medical jet crashed in Philadelphia, killing six people on the plane and one on the ground.
