Three Killed After Medical Helicopter Crash

A medical helicopter pilot hit bad weather and was trying to return to the hospital hangar shortly before the aircraft crashed into a northern Illinois field, killing the pilot and two nurses, reports the Associated Press.

Pilot Andy Olesen radioed to dispatchers at Rockford Memorial Hospital that he was turning around because he had “encountered some weather” while heading to another hospital to pick up a patient Monday night, a hospital spokesman said.

Olesen, 65, and flight nurses Karen Hollis, 48, and Jim Dillow, 40, died when the plane crashed about 8:30 p.m. near Rochelle, about 70 miles west of Chicago. No patients were aboard at the time.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
The hospital issued a statement saying it was grieving for “three heroes who dedicated their careers to serving others.”

Air Methods Vice President Craig Yale said the hospital’s helicopter, an MBBK 117, was “a very reliable aircraft” and a “workhorse in our industry.” He could not discuss the crash because of the ongoing investigation.

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