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Miss. governor orders flags at half-staff to honor fallen medical helicopter crew

Governor Tate Reeves ordered flags at half-staff to honor the AirCare crew members killed in a medical helicopter crash in Madison County

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves has ordered flags to fly at half-staff in honor of three crew members who died in a medical helicopter crash in Madison County.

The fatal incident occurred on March 10 when an AirCare helicopter went down in a heavily wooded area south of the Natchez Trace Parkway.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center said no patients were on board at the time of the crash, WJTV reported.

The victims were identified as Clint Pope, a flight nurse and base supervisor for AirCare in Columbus, Terri Kindt, a critical care paramedic and Charles Wesolowski, a Med-Trans pilot.

Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for Health Affairs at UMMC, stated that AirCare 3 had flown to the Medical Center to transport a patient and was returning to Columbus when the crash occurred.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.

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Bill Carey is the associate editor for FireRescue1.com and EMS1.com. A former Maryland volunteer firefighter, sergeant, and lieutenant, Bill has written for several fire service publications and platforms. His work on firefighter behavioral health garnered a 2014 Neal Award nomination. His ongoing research and writings about line-of-duty death data is frequently cited in articles, presentations, and trainings. Have a news tip? He can be reached at news@lexipol.com.