ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Rockford Memorial Hospital says its helicopter had a perfect safety record before it crashed in a field, killing the pilot and two nurses.
Spokesman Wester Wuori (WORRY) says the hospital has owned the helicopter since 1991. It contracted with Colorado-based medical transit company Air Methods for operational services.
Pilot Andy Olesen and nurses Karen Hollis and Jim Dillow were killed when the helicopter crashed Monday night in a field near Rochelle, Ill., about 70 miles west of Chicago. They were traveling to pick up a patient at a Mendota hospital, and no patients were on board.
Olesen worked for Air Methods; the nurses worked for the hospital.
Wuori says employees at the close-knit hospital are shocked by the tragedy.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
