Three crew members died after a medical helicopter crashed in Kentucky, ABC affiliate WLKY reported Oct. 7.
The helicopter crashed around 5:37 p.m. in Owen County, Ky., when it was en route to pick up a patient. Kentucky State Police pronounced the victims — Gale Alleman, Bethany Aicken and James Welsh, all crew members from Air Evac Lifeteam base 133 aboard the helicopter — dead at the scene.
"This was a terribly tragic accident, and our deepest sympathies go out to the employees’ families and friends," Air Evac Lifeteam said in a statement on Facebook. "Our primary focus now is on supporting the families who were impacted as well as our team members. Critical incident stress management teams have been sent to assist our team members during this difficult time."
AEL is working closely with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board to investigate the cause of the crash.