EagleMed crash kills pilot and nurse

An EagleMed air ambulance helicopter crashed 22 July killing two onboard. The aircraft took off from Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US, and was en route to pick up a patient in Okeene, but crashed in a field at around 20:00 hrs, four miles south of Kingfisher and half-way into the flight. The pilot and one of two nurses were killed; a second nurse was injured. Lynn Lunsford, spokesman for the US Federal Aviation Administration, said: “Three people were onboard, but one of them survived and is in the process of being airlifted back to Oklahoma City.” Kansas-based EagleMed LLC released a statement confirming that pilot Al Harrison and nurse Ryan Duke lost their lives when the AS350 crashed. Shelia Rupp-Hagg, spokeswoman for the provider, said that flight nurse and paramedic Michael Eccard was airlifted by another medical helicopter to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where he was reported to be in a fair condition. She confirmed that no patient had been onboard the aircraft and stated that the cause of the incident was unknown. Jack Stuteville, mayor of Kingfisher, said he had been called to the scene by a witness who stated the helicopter had spun before hitting the ground. Stuteville reported that the wreckage was already badly burned when he arrived and that Eccard was found about 50 m from the aircraft. Lunsford confirmed that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Authority would investigate the accident.