Horror as three medical helicopter crew die in crash near Oklahoma City as they returned to base after dropping off patient at hospital

Three emergency responders are dead following the helicopter crash The chopper is understood to have crashed near the town of Hydro, OklahomaOfficials are currently investigating the circumstances of the crash  

Three members of an air ambulance crew were tragically killed after their helicopter crashed late Saturday in Oklahoma, officials said.

The crash is understood to have occurred on the east side of the town of Hydro, in the west of the state, after a control center lost contact with the Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter crew shortly before 11:30pm on Saturday evening, the company said in a statement Sunday.

The crew was returning to its base in nearby Weatherford, 70 miles west of Oklahoma City, after completing a patient care transport to the capital.

Nearby Air Evac teams assisted law enforcement with the search for the crew members.

The company did not say where the Bell 206L3 was found and did not immediately release the victims’ names, though its website states that crews typically consist of a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.

The crash is understood to have occurred on the east side of the town of Hydro, in the west of the state

The company did not say where the Bell 206L3 was found and did not immediately release the victims’ names

Air Evac Lifeteam operates over 150 air ambulance bases across 18 states in the US, according to its website

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate the crash, which is understood to have taken place near the 1010 road.

Local law enforcement is said to have blocked off roads going to and from the crash site.

The NTSB is set to examine air traffic control communications, radar data, weather reports, witness statements and a 72-hour background of the chopper’s pilot as part of its investigation. 

The board will look into whether any issues may have affected the pilot’s ability to fly the aircraft safely, among other information. 

A spokesperson told the New York Times in a statement: ‘It is important to note that N.T.S.B. does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process.

‘This is considered the fact-gathering phase of the investigation.’

Air Evac Lifeteam operates over 150 air ambulance bases across 18 states in the US, according to its website.

The company says that roughly 90% of its patient transports originate from a rural area.