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Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Crew member: 'We've got a major problem' as MS medical helicopter crashed, NTSB report says
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report last week of its investigation into the University of Mississippi Medical Center helicopter crash in early March that killed three crew members. AirCare 3 — one of four helicopters in UMMC's critical care transport program — was severely damaged March 10 after crashing in a grass field in Canton, roughly 26 miles south of Jackson. It was the first crash in the 29 years that AirCare emergency service has been operational, according to UMMC. The victims were identified as two UMMC employees — Dustin Pope, a 35-year-old base supervisor for AirCare in Columbus and a flight nurse of Philadelphia; Jakob Kindt, a 37-year-old critical care paramedic of Tupelo — and one pilot, Cal Wesolowski, a 62-year-old Med-Trans Corporation pilot of Starkville. Med-Trans Corporation, a Denton-Texas based company, provides helicopters and pilots to UMMC. According to the report released on April 4, AirCare 3 completed a patient transport to St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson, refueled for a return trip to its home base in Columbus at Golden Triangle Regional Airport and crashed shortly after, killing everyone on board. No patients were reported to have been on board. The preliminary report did not identify the cause of the crash. National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman previously told reporters the final report could take one-to-two years to be completed. "We will take as long as it takes to get the right evidence, to find the right information and to come up with the probable cause," Inman said during a March 11 media briefing. According to the report, the helicopter departed from St. Dominic Hospital and flew about 0.25 miles to the south, to the University of Mississippi Medical Center MED-COM heliport where the helicopter was topped off with Jet A fuel. The helicopter then departed from the UMMC MED-COM heliport and began the flight to the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The operator's safety management system classified the flight as low-risk. Preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration indicates that the helicopter initially communicated with air traffic control at Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN). About 5 minutes before the accident, the pilot reported "clear to the north" and terminated communication with JAN Air Traffic Control. The report states the pilot was in the front right seat, the flight paramedic was in the front left seat, and the flight nurse was in the rear right seat. Nearly 30 gangs exist in Jackson: How do young people get caught in cycle of violence, crime? The helicopter flew over the Ross Barnett Reservoir northeast of Jackson and reached an altitude of 2,500 feet above mean sea level before it began to descend north of the reservoir. According to the report, about halfway through the descent, the flight nurse transmitted a message to UMMC's aircraft communications center. "We've got a major problem, we are having an emergency landing in a field right now, ops are not good, controls are giving us a lot of trouble, coming in fast,' the flight nurse said, as written in the report. No further radio transmissions were recorded from the helicopter. The helicopter, a Eurocopter EC135 P2+, was inspected two and a half hours before the accident. The helicopter impacted multiple trees south of a flat grass field in the Pearl River State Wildlife Management Area before coming to rest in the field. The accident site was located about 1/4 mile southwest of the Turcotte Fish Hatchery. The helicopter was destroyed by a post-impact fire that burned for three hours. Fire department units deployed 1,300 feet of hose after the initial fire suppression, which was carried out using tank water. The report states water was then shuttled for the remainder of the firefighting operation. According to the report, a manager at Turcotte Fish Hatchery who was working about 700 yards from the accident site heard a "boom" or "explosion" while the helicopter was still airborne. He did not hear engine sounds after the boom and did not see smoke or fire coming from the helicopter while it remained airborne. Here is a brief read on: Medical helicopter crash that killed 3 people in Mississippi. Here's everything we knew following the crash The report states it appeared to the manager that the pilot was "having trouble controlling" the helicopter and that the tail was pitching up and down. The manager reportedly estimated the helicopter did not descend straight down but was "coasting" in a 40 to 45 degree angle descent. "He said the time from the 'boom' to helicopter's impact with the ground spanned no more than about 15 seconds," the report states. Wesolowski, the pilot, was hired by Med-Trans in September 2024 and passed a competency checkride in October. Wesolowski accumulated about 10,644 hours as a helicopter pilot, according to the report. The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, Med-Trans Corporation and Colorado-based Global Medical Response, the company that owns Med-Trans, traveled to the site of the crash but were unable to functionally test any of the helicopter systems due to the fire damage. AirCare flights were temporarily grounded after the crash but have now resumed operations. "Our entire Medical Center family is heartbroken over this," LouAnn Woodward, UMMC's vice chancellor for Health Affairs, said during a March 10 press conference. "We also want to express our concern and sadness for the AirCare team. This is the crew that responds to emergencies across all of the state. And to see them today responding to one of their own, it's something you can't put into words." This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Preliminary NTSB report in UMMC helicopter crash in Madison County, MS
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NTSB issues preliminary report on fatal Mississippi medical helicopter crash
MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the medical helicopter crash in Mississippi that killed three people. According to the NTSB, AirCare 3 was was returning to its home base at Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTR) in Columbus after the crew transported a patient to the St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital Heliport in Jackson. According to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the helicopter initially communicated with air traffic control (ATC) at Jackson-Medgar Wiley EversInternational Airport (JAN). About five minutes before the accident, the pilot reported 'clear to the north' and terminated communication with JAN ATC. Data showed that the helicopter began to climb to the northeast and flew over the Ross Barnett Reservoir. The helicopter eventually reached an altitude of about 2,500 feet above mean sea level (msl). Memorial honors three killed in Mississippi medical helicopter crash Shortly after the helicopter flew over the Pearl River State Wildlife Management Area in Madison County, the NTSB said it began to descend. About halfway through the descent, the flight nurse transmitted over the radio to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) MED-COM, 'we've got a major problem, we are having an emergency landing in a field right now, ops are not good, controls are giving us a lot of trouble, coming in fast.' No further radio transmissions were recorded from the helicopter. According to the NTSB, the helicopter turned to the north during the descent and hit multiple trees. It came to a rest on the southern end of a grass field. The accident site was located about 1/4 mile southwest of the Turcotte Fish Hatchery. Officials said the wreckage was destroyed by a postimpact fire that burned for nearly three hours. A witness reported to the NTSB that the pilot of the helicopter was 'having trouble controlling' it. He reported he did not see any smoke or fire from the helicopter. Due to post-crash fire damage, the NTSB said none of the helicopter systems could be functionally tested. The wreckage was recovered from the accident site and transported to a secure UMMC identified the victims as Dustin Pope, 35, of Philadelphia; Jakob Kindt, 37, of Tupelo; and Cal Wesolowski, 62, of Starkville. Pope was the base supervisor for AirCare in Columbus and a flight nurse. Kindt was a critical care paramedic. They had both started working for UMMC on August 14, 2017, according to officials. Wesolowski was the Med-Trans pilot. According to officials, AirCare 3 was manufacutured in 2012 and was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B2 turboshaft engines, an autopilot system, and a crash-resistant fuel system. It was transferred to the MedTrans operating certificate in 2020. Officials said the helicopter underwent its most recent inspection during an approved aircraft inspection program, which was about 2.7 hours before the accident. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Memorial honors three killed in Mississippi medical helicopter crash
MADISON, Miss. (WJTV) – A memorial was held for three crew members who died during a medical helicopter crash in Mississippi. The memorial for Jakob Kindt, Dustin Pope, and Cal Wesolowski was held at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison on March 21. A medical helicopter fleet flew over the church to honor the crew members. Flags lowered to honor three killed in Mississippi medical helicopter crash Madison County officials said the helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded area south of the Natchez Trace Parkway and north of Pipeline Road on Monday, March 10. Officials with the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) said two UMMC employee crew members and a Med-Trans pilot were on board the AirCare helicopter at the time of the crash. No patient was on board. Pope was the base supervisor for AirCare in Columbus and a flight nurse. Kindt was a critical care paramedic. They had both started working for UMMC on August 14, 2017, according to officials. Wesolowski was the Med-Trans pilot. Dr. LouAnn Woodward, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at UMMC, said AirCare 3, based in Columbus, had flown to the Medical Center to transport a patient and was returning to Columbus when the accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on March 10. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why are flags half-staff in Mississippi today? State honors 3 who died in helicopter crash
Why are flags at half-staff in Mississippi today? Gov. Tate Reeves filed an executive order that all flags be flown at half-staff to honor three men who died in a medical helicopter crash last week: Jakob Kindt, Dustin Pope and Cal Wesolowski. "We will never forget the brave sacrifices these first responders made in selfless service to our state," the governor said. Here's what we know about the crash, the men who died. A medical helicopter with AirCare3 crashed around 12:30 p.m. Monday, March 10, in a remote area along the Natchez Trace. The pilot and two University of Mississippi Medical Center employees on board were killed. The Madison Country Sheriff's Office said the crew reported losing power just before the crash. According to Todd Inman, a National Transportation Safety Board member, the pilot said they would try to land but were having a flight control problem. The helicopter fell from the sky shortly afterward. Dustin Pope, 35, of Philadelphia: Per UMMC, Pope was a base supervisor for AirCare in Columbus and a flight nurse. He was also a member of Mossy Oak Properties Bottomland Real Estate. He leaves behind a wife and three young children. Jakob Kindt, 37, of Tupelo: According to UMMC, Kindt was a critical care paramedic. He leaves behind a wife and two sons. Cal Wesolowski, 62, of Starkville: Wesolowski was a Med-Trans Corporation pilot, UMMC said. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. Mississippi plane crashes: Where, when, why did the deadliest air safety failures happen? The term half-mast applies to ships and naval station. When a flag is displayed on a flagpole on shore, the correct term is half-staff. Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Why are flags half-staff in MS? State honors helicopter crash victims
