Copied from the Chicago Sun Times web site:
Medical chopper crash kills pilot
January 29, 2003
BY ANA MENDIETA STAFF REPORTER
The crash of a medical helicopter near DuPage County Airport killed the pilot Tuesday night, officials said.
No patients were aboard when the air ambulance went down in a field between Roosevelt Road and Fabian Parkway about 8:50 p.m., just minutes after it took off. It crashed about 2-1/2 miles southwest of the DuPage County Airport, said Tony Molinaro, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's Great Lakes Region.
"There was just the pilot on board, but it was a fatality and the helicopter was destroyed," said Molinaro, who couldn't say if weather was a factor in the crash.
The pilot was identified by officials of Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove as Mike Russell.
The helicopter was affiliated with the hospital and the Air Angels service, Good Samaritan Hospital spokeswoman Jackie Bailis said late Tuesday. But the helicopter was not flying to or from the hospital at the time of the crash, she said.
"Our nurses are really grieving for this loss because they work closely with the helicopter crews of Air Angels," Bailis said.
The temperatures were just below freezing at the time of the crash, with northwest winds of 10 mph, a visibility of four miles and a slight fog but no precipitation, according to the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
The FAA's Molinaro said the National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation of the crash.
Contributing: AP
My thoughts and prayers go out the the pilot, his family, friends, and loved ones.
Medical chopper crash kills pilot
January 29, 2003
BY ANA MENDIETA STAFF REPORTER
The crash of a medical helicopter near DuPage County Airport killed the pilot Tuesday night, officials said.
No patients were aboard when the air ambulance went down in a field between Roosevelt Road and Fabian Parkway about 8:50 p.m., just minutes after it took off. It crashed about 2-1/2 miles southwest of the DuPage County Airport, said Tony Molinaro, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration's Great Lakes Region.
"There was just the pilot on board, but it was a fatality and the helicopter was destroyed," said Molinaro, who couldn't say if weather was a factor in the crash.
The pilot was identified by officials of Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove as Mike Russell.
The helicopter was affiliated with the hospital and the Air Angels service, Good Samaritan Hospital spokeswoman Jackie Bailis said late Tuesday. But the helicopter was not flying to or from the hospital at the time of the crash, she said.
"Our nurses are really grieving for this loss because they work closely with the helicopter crews of Air Angels," Bailis said.
The temperatures were just below freezing at the time of the crash, with northwest winds of 10 mph, a visibility of four miles and a slight fog but no precipitation, according to the National Weather Service in Romeoville.
The FAA's Molinaro said the National Transportation Safety Board will be in charge of the investigation of the crash.
Contributing: AP
My thoughts and prayers go out the the pilot, his family, friends, and loved ones.
