SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Federal authorities are investigating a
helicopter accident that killed three people Tuesday night in
Mendocino County in northern California.
The medical helicopter crashed into a mountain near Ukiah, a city
about 120 miles north of San Francisco, said Donn Walker, a spokesman
for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The aircraft, which originally departed from Santa Rosa, had stopped
in Ukiah on its way to Willits, about 20 miles further north. After
leaving Ukiah, the pilot decided to turn back due to poor weather
conditions.
On its return, the helicopter crashed into a mountain around 7:30
p.m. and was destroyed by the impact and a resulting fire, Walker
said.
All three people on board -- a pilot and two nurses -- were killed.
There were no patients in the helicopter at the time.
The cause of the crash has not been determined. The National
Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, Walker
said.
The three victims were employees of Redwood Empire Air Care
Helicopter, a privately owned Santa Rosa firm that provides air
ambulance services in northern California, said REACH spokesman Pat
McDonald.
REACH was notifying the families of the victims Tuesday night and
would not release their identities.
``They were all experienced flight crew members,'' McDonald said.
``They've been with us for a number of years.''
The company wasn't sure why the pilot decided to turn back, but
McDonald said, ``It is not uncommon for REACH helicopters to fly in
inclement weather.''
The crew was on its way to Willits to pick up a patient to bring to a
hospital in the San Francisco Bay area, McDonald said.
Tuesday's crash was the first accident the company, which owns nine
helicopters, has had since it was founded in 1987, McDonald said. The
helicopter was a Agusta 109, which can seat about five passengers.
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