A helicopter traveling to provide medical aid to a child in need in southwestern Tennessee crashed Tuesday morning, killing the pilot and two children's hospital workers from Memphis.
According to CNN, the medical aircraft carried a nurse, a respiratory therapist from Memphis' Le Bonheur Children's Hospital and the pilot. The trio made it around halfway between Memphis and the destination city of Bolivar before spiraling into the ground at about 6:20 a.m. near Somerville.
The group was on its way to escort a boy who was experiencing kidney failure at a Bolivar hospital to Le Bonheur. But the Memphis Children's Hospital's CEO Mary Armour confirmed to CNN that the helicopter never made it to the landing pad.
Video from the accident depicted enormous plumes of grey smoke climbing from a wooded clearing. Officials haven't released the victim's names, and reported that they're still unsure what caused the crash.
"They have taken care of so many kids in their short lives," medical director of Le Bonheur's air transport program Dr. Jay Pershad told CNN. "I can't tell you how incredibly difficult it is for the entire team."
The young boy who was to be sent to Memphis was escorted to Le Bonheur by ambulance instead, after officials were informed that the helicopter had gone down.
Conway told CNN that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will conduct a probe into the accident.
"It saddens me more than you can know," Conway stated. "All three of these crew members were personal friends of mine."
Three years ago, a similar fatal accident occurred near Brownsville, Tennessee, after a Hospital Wing helicopter crashed, resulting in the deaths of three people.
