GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. — Officials have released the identities of the three Omniflight crew members killed in a helicopter crash late Friday night in Georgetown County.
Officials with Omniflight Helicopters say the helicopter, traveling from Charleston to Conway, crashed 63 miles into its flight along a wooded area of Whitehall Road off of US-17 in Georgetown County, killing its crew.
Pilot Patrick Walter, 45, flight nurse Diana Conner, 42, and paramedic Randolph Claxon-Dove, 39, died in the crash. Walters had been with Omniflight for four years, Conner for one year and Claxon-Dove for three years.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson says no patients were on board.
Georgetown County Coroner Kenny Johnson said the bodies of the victims were taken to MUSC, but were having difficulties identifying the victims’ bodies because they were severely burned.
A crisis team is on standby to assist families of the victims.
Omniflight Vice President Joel Hochhalter says Friday’s crash is the first of its kind in at least 10 years. The American Eurocopter AS350B2 was the only helicopter based in Conway, and the company is suspending service for the time being. When crews are able to resume service, Hochhalter said the company will send another chopper.
Hochhalter noted the 2000 model helicopter only had about 1,350 service hours on it, and was a third of its way through its service life, adding it was reliable. He said the helicopter had never had mechanical problems and to talk about what went wrong would be “pure speculation.”
The helicopter is equipped with a satellite tracking system, Hochhalter explained, which last tracked at 12:38 p.m.
At a press conference at Georgetown County Airport with officials from Omniflight and Midway Fire-Rescue and Georgetown County officials, Sam Hodge, manager of Georgetown County Emergency Management, said it’s too early to rule out what might have caused the crash.
“Omniflight is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of its crew members and wishes to express its deepest regrets and sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives,” the company said in a statement Saturday.
Officials say they lost contact with the American Eurocopter AS350B2 helicopter around 11:18 p.m. A search was initiated shortly after the aircraft failed to report to Omniflight’s communication center.
Hodge said crews arrived at the crash scene around 2 a.m., noting there was some severe weather at the time, but would not say if it played a role in the accident.
Hodge said it has been more than 10 years since an aircraft went down in Georgetown County, and since the 1980s since a helicopter crashed there.
The National Transportation Safety Board and officials with the Federal Aviation Administration are en route to the scene for a full investigation.