Carolina Lifecare crash kills three
A Carolina Lifecare helicopter crashed on 25 September, killing all three people onboard. The accident occurred near Georgetown, South Carolina, at around 23:30 hrs. Flight paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove, flight nurse Dianna Conner and pilot Patrick Walters all died in the incident. The Eurocopter AS350 B2, registration number N417AE, was on a positioning flight, having safely delivered a patient to Charleston around two hours earlier. According to reports, the helicopter was en route to Conway, but diverted towards Georgetown County Airport due to bad weather. In a press conference two days after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that all major components of the aircraft, which was operated by Omniflight Helicopters Inc., had been located in the wooded area where the crash occurred.Omniflight reported that the helicopter took off from the Charleston airport at approximately 23:08 hrs and crashed shortly after take-off, 63 miles southwest of Conway. The aircraft was headed to its base in Conway, and a search was initiated shortly after the aircraft failed to report in to Omniflight’s communications centre. The crash site was located at around 02:00 hrs by members of the Civil Air Patrol and emergency crews. Omniflight said it was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of its crew members and expressed its ‘deepest regrets and sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives’. Speaking of the company’s plans to reinstate air ambulance provision to the area, Joel Hochhalter, vice-president of Omniflight, said: “As soon as the local staff is ready to go back to work, there will be an aircraft there. We want them to be mentally prepared to do the job, able to take care of patients and to be able to function both on an emotional level and on a work level.” He continued: “We have our base in Myrtle Beach, and other local helicopter companies that are in the area are available to take calls in an emergency. So it's not that the area is without a helicopter service right now.”
A Carolina Lifecare helicopter crashed on 25 September, killing all three people onboard. The accident occurred near Georgetown, South Carolina, at around 23:30 hrs. Flight paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove, flight nurse Dianna Conner and pilot Patrick Walters all died in the incident. The Eurocopter AS350 B2, registration number N417AE, was on a positioning flight, having safely delivered a patient to Charleston around two hours earlier. According to reports, the helicopter was en route to Conway, but diverted towards Georgetown County Airport due to bad weather. In a press conference two days after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that all major components of the aircraft, which was operated by Omniflight Helicopters Inc., had been located in the wooded area where the crash occurred. Omniflight reported that the helicopter took off from the Charleston airport at approximately 23:08 hrs and crashed shortly after take-off, 63 miles southwest of Conway. The aircraft was headed to its base in Conway, and a search was initiated shortly after the aircraft failed to report in to Omniflight’s communications centre. The crash site was located at around 02:00 hrs by members of the Civil Air Patrol and emergency crews. Omniflight said it was deeply saddened by the tragic loss of its crew members and expressed its ‘deepest regrets and sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives’. Speaking of the company’s plans to reinstate air ambulance provision to the area, Joel Hochhalter, vice-president of Omniflight, said: “As soon as the local staff is ready to go back to work, there will be an aircraft there. We want them to be mentally prepared to do the job, able to take care of patients and to be able to function both on an emotional level and on a work level.” He continued: “We have our base in Myrtle Beach, and other local helicopter companies that are in the area are available to take calls in an emergency. So it's not that the area is without a helicopter service right now.”