Three crew members aboard a medical helicopter died after it crashed near Owenton, Kentucky.
A statement from Air Evac Lifeteam said one of its helicopters, Air Evac 133, crashed while responding to an emergency call at around 6 p.m. on Monday.
According to the Kentucky State Police, the victims – Gale Alleman, Bethany Aicken and James Welsh – were pronounced dead at the scene. The three crew members were based out of Grant County and were en route to pick up a patient when the crash happened.
The helicopter was a Bell 206, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Our primary focus now is on supporting the families who were impacted, as well as our team members,” a statement from the company said. “Critical incident stress management teams have been sent to assist our team members during this difficult time. This was a terribly tragic accident, and our deepest sympathies go out to the employees’ families and friends.”
FlightAware.com said the helicopter took off from Williamstown at 5:22 p.m. It was last reported “near Frankfort” at 5:30 p.m.
Several witnesses were eating dinner on the back patio of a local restaurant called Amigos. They said the helicopter hit a tower, causing it to crash and catch fire.
According to a social media post by the Owen County Fire and Rescue Departments, the helicopter crashed near Amigos. It said the site was the scene of a federal investigation and firefighters were called to secure the scene.
The National Transportation and Safety Board said an investigator would arrive on scene on Tuesday.
The Owen Electric Cooperative said the crash caused a power outage that lasted about an hour.
