EagleMed helicopter crash kills two
On the morning of 22 February, an EagleMed air ambulance helicopter crashed in Oklahoma City just before 05:45 hrs. According to local media reports, flight paramedic Billy Wynne was injured in the accident and was taken to hospital in a critical condition; pilot Mark Montgomery and flight nurse Chris Denning lost their lives in the crash.
On the morning of 22 February, an EagleMed air ambulance helicopter crashed in Oklahoma City just before 05:45 hrs. According to local media reports, flight paramedic Billy Wynne was injured in the accident and was taken to hospital in a critical condition; pilot Mark Montgomery and flight nurse Chris Denning lost their lives in the crash. No patient was onboard the AS350 B3 helicopter, which was en route from its base at Integris Baptist Medical Center to pick up a patient in Watonga.
The helicopter, EagleMed 7, came down in a parking area between a retirement centre and a nursing home, but no buildings were damaged and no bystanders injured in the crash. Witnesses reported a there was an explosion immediately after impact, followed by a further explosion minutes later. Passers-by and staff from the nursing home pulled Wynne from the wreckage before the second explosion occurred.
Denning worked for Integris for around a decade before transferring to EagleMed, while Montgomery flew with the Oklahoman National Guard until March 2011, according to the Oklahoman newspaper. Wichita, Kansas-based EagleMed has established an assistance fund where donations can be made on behalf of the family and crew members of EagleMed 7.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has begun an investigation into the incident. Fox 25 reported that Alex Lemishko, who is leading the NTSB investigation, reported that there were no radio or distress calls from the pilot to indicate any problems during the initial phase of the flight. Lemishko added: “We have satellite tracking information that everything … from the initial take-off was normal.” According to witnesses, a flash came from the helicopter before it started to descend, said Lemishko.
Fire Department Battalion Chief Marc Woodward commended Montgomery for coming down away from the buildings: “I think the pilot did a miraculous job landing it where he did. It’s 65 ft [20 m] from a nursing home on one side and 150 ft [46 m] from a retirement village on the other.”
On 22 July 2010, an EagleMed AS350 that took off from Baptist Medical Center crashed en route to collect a patient. Although paramedic Michael Eccard survived the accident, pilot Al Harrison and nurse Ryan Duke both lost their lives.
Photo: library image of an EagleMed AS350 helicopter (EagleMed)