Trending Topics

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.

Trending
Boston EMS welcomed 26 new EMTs, marking the next chapter for recruits who completed six months of training
A new inspector general report found the agency missed national response-time standards in 71% of cases, with low pay and chronic vacancies forcing the city to rely heavily on private ambulance providers
San Antonio police said a welfare check escalated when a woman allegedly struck a firefighter with a knife before barricading herself inside an apartment
Authorities said a man, believed to be armed with a knife, ran towards a Kanawha County EMS ambulance, leapt onto the hood and later died after falling from the rig

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.