By Kim Bell
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
MADISON COUNTY, Ill. — Three crew members in an ARCH medical helicopter were injured Thursday night when it crashed on takeoff during a training exercise in Hartford, Illinois.
The crash was shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday as the helicopter was taking off from the Hartford fire station, according to Air Methods.
One of the crew members suffered a back injury. One had a head injury, and one had back, neck and head injuries. Two were taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital and one went to St. Louis University Hospital. All were taken to the hospital by ambulance.
The occupants were with ARCH Crew 1 out of Granite City, according to Air Methods, which runs ARCH Air Medical Service.
Firefighters put out a fire on the helicopter after the crash.
Hartford police Chief Matt Asbury said the helicopter went down on a vacant lot next to the fire house and police station. No one on the ground was hurt, Asbury said.
The chief said the FAA will be investigating the cause of the crash.
Hartford is a village of about 1,100 residents.
Shortly before the crash, the Hartford Fire Department posted a Facebook message telling residents about the training program.
“They will be landing a Helicopter this evening in the empty lot across Date Street,” the post said. “Please do not be alarmed. This is for training purposes only.”
The post also asked residents not to get close to the helicopter during the training. “Helicopters can be Very Dangerous and this is one of the reasons for training.”
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