Three people were killed in Mississippi Monday when a medical helicopter crashed in Madison County.
Officials with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office say the chopper went down in a wooded area south of the Natchez Trace Parkway. The helicopter was reportedly operated by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).
Two crew members employed by UMMC and a Med-Trans pilot were killed in the crash. There was no patient on the aircraft.
A statement from a Madison County spokesperson confirmed there was a fatal crash in the area and that local officials are awaiting the arrival of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA provided the following:
“A Eurocopter EC-135 helicopter crashed in a wooded area in Jackson, Mississippi, around 1:15 p.m. local time on Monday, March 10. Three people were on board. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.”
UMMC officials also released a statement Monday afternoon:
“This afternoon, an AirCare helicopter had an accident in Madison County, north of the Ross Barnett Reservoir. Law Enforcement and first-response units have responded to the scene and families are being contacted. We will share more information when possible”
One of the victims was identified as Dustin Pope, a flight nurse with UMMC.
The second victim of the three victims was identified Tuesday morning as Jakob Kindt.
The third victim’s identity has not been released to the public.
