Kern County, California, Fire officials said Thursday night that four people were killed when a medical helicopter crashed.
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On board was the helicopter pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic and the patient. “The crew involved were wonderful people”, he said.
The aircraft was traveling from Porterville Municipal Airport with a critically ill patient to Joaquin Community Hospital in Bakersfield when it crashed, officials said.
Names of the victims have not been disclosed until their family members are informed. The Fresno County EMS Dispatch Center was unable to make contact with the helicopter at 7:05pm.
Smallwood said at about 11 p.m. that the investigation was just beginning and the cause of the crash was not known.
The helicopter was a Bell407 with the tail No. N408FC, according to the FAA.
Rescue team from the fire department of Kern County and Sheriff’s office as well were deployed to the location that was last received by the Global Positioning System signal.
Conditions in Kern County are damp with thick fog.
“This was a safe, experienced crew”, he said.
The search for the missing helicopter is now focused on an area near Highway 65 and Sherwood Avenue east of McFarland.
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A Skylife medical helicopter crashed in a private field on the way to a hospital near Bakersfield, Calif. Thursday night.
