Three crew members on an ambulance helicopter were killed when the aircraft crashed on Saturday in Oklahoma, officials said.
The Air Evac Lifeteam (AEL) chopper went down in Weatherford after the control center lost contact with the crew shortly before 11:30 p.m., the company announced on Facebook.
“Air Evac Lifeteam is heartbroken to report that three crew members have perished in an incident that occurred on Saturday, January 20,” the company said. “At 11:23 p.m., local time, AEL’s Operations Control Center (OCC) lost contact with the aircraft, a Bell 206L3 with call sign N295AE.”
The Weatherford-based crew was returning to base after completing a patient transport when the crash occurred.
Nearby Air Evac teams assisted law enforcement with the search for the downed aircraft and crew members, though the company did not say where exactly they were found.
“Our primary focus is on supporting the families and our team members,” Air Evac Lifeteam stated, adding that it has turned over the scene and investigation to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
In a Monday follow-up post, the company released the names of the three victims.
“It is with a very heavy heart we share that three of our colleagues, Pilot Russell Haslam, Flight Nurse Adam Tebben, and Medic Steven Fitzgerald, passed away in an air accident on the evening of January 20,” the statement said. “Please continue to hold all of their families in your hearts. Russell, Adam, and Steven, we miss you so much. We’ll take it from here.”
Thank you for all the support and love you have shown the Air Evac family during this difficult time. It is with a very…
Posted by Air Evac Lifeteam on Monday, January 22, 2024
The late pilot’s brother added a heartfelt tribute in a comment underneath the post.
“He was my brother, my best friend, my biggest hero…I feel the pain of everyone, especially the other crew members and their families…Godspeed, my brother, until we meet again,” wrote Tim Haslam.
Danielle Robinson, a flight paramedic with Air Evac Lifeteam, also wrote that she loved the three crew members and was “honored and privileged to work and fly with them.”
