A press conference was held where the CEO of American ambulance, Todd Valeri, spoke about the tragedy, “We have a gather of our- we call it the SkyLife family”.
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The Skylight helicopter was transporting a critical patient from Porterfield Airport to a Bakersfield hospital when normal communications were lost, said Daniel Lynch, director of Fresno County Emergency Medical Services.
Officials say all four people aboard are dead after a medical helicopter crashed in Central California.
Williams said the yearlong investigation into the cause of the crash will take into account several factors, including weather, the pilot’s record and maintenance that had been done on the Bell 407 helicopter.
Valeri said Friday that SkyLife has never had a helicopter go down since the partnership with Rogers was formed in 1991.
He said his team is still gathering information on weather and mechanics and had nothing to say about how they have contributed to the Thursday night crash.
The helicopter debris will be removed Saturday afternoon and stored in Sacramento for further investigation.
A medical helicopter that crashed late Thursday killing four was involved in a separate, near-miss with a drone in Fresno in August.
Three of the victims were identified as 49-year-old Thomas Hampl, of Bend, the pilot; 42-year-old Marco Lopez, the flight nurse; and 37-year-old Kyle Juarez, who was the paramedic, KERO in Bakersfield, California reported.
But it was unable reach the aircraft, Lynch said.
Medical flights have repeatedly drawn safety scrutiny, including a 1988 NTSB study that found a need for safety improvements.
The study also noted that more than half of the accidents occurred when no patient was aboard and the flights could operate under less stringent rules.
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