KERN COUNTY (KMJ) — Four people have died in a medical helicopter crash in Kern County.
The NTSB will be taking over the crash site Friday morning, after the American Ambulance Skylife helicopter came down in the valley Thursday evening.
The chopper set off from Porterville Municipal Airport with a critical patient, heading for San Joaquin Hospital.
But according to Fresno County’s Department of Public Health, the EMS dispatch center was unable to make routine radio contact just after 7pm Thursday.
They immediately contacted airport towers in both Fresno and Bakersfield, as well as Kern County Fire and Kern County Sheriff’s Office.
“It was heavy fog and rain at the time”, says the Sheriff’s Department’s Lieutenant Bill Smallwood. “They did locate a crash site. We were able to get crews in there about an hour later on foot and confirmed there were four souls on board. It appears there were no survivors”.
“We haven’t got the information on the crew or anyone who was on board. Our investigation is just starting”.
It’s unknown at this point what led to the crash taking place. The four dead haven’t been identified but on board was the pilot, a flight paramedic, a flight nurse, and the patient themselves.
American Ambulance have posted on the Twitter feed thanking everyone for their sympathy, and that the the family of employees there will be mourning the tragedy for a long time.
