Three people were killed when a medical helicopter crashed Monday night near the city of Rochelle.
A witness says the medical helicopter that crashed in a field near Rochelle, killing the pilot and two nurses, flew close to his house before diving into the ground.
“I thought it didn’t sound right. It sounded like it was going to hit the house,’’ said Michael Bernardin, a Viola Township highway commissioner who lives near U.S. Route 30 and Illlinois Route 251. "All of a sudden I saw this red light come out of the sky and nosedive right into the ground out here.
"I thought it was going to hit the house, but evidently the guy steered her clear of everything," he added.
Bernardin said he and his wife jumped into their pickup truck and spotted the wreckage in their headlights around 8:30 p.m. Monday. "It was unbelievable, unbelievable," he said. "Oh my God, three people died."
The helicopter was registered to Rockford Memorial Hospital and was enroute to pick up a patient at Mendota Community Hospital, officials said. The Rockford hospital identified the pilot as Andy Olesen and the two flight nurses as Jim Dillow and Karen Hollis.
Lee County Sheriff John Varga said it did not appear that the helicopter hit any power lines or other structures. "The phone calls and witnesses we got last night said something didn't sound right, it was flying low," he said.
Varga said his office received a call from the Rockford hospital at about 8:15 p.m. saying they had lost contact with the helicopter.
This morning, an Illinois State Police crime scene investigator and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were on the scene as a plane flew overhead taking photographs of the crash site.
The NTSB will lead the investigation into what caused the crash, according to the FAA.
The Rockford hospital released a statement saying "our hearts are heavy. We grieve the loss of three heroes who dedicated their careers to serving others."
On the hospital's Facebook page, hundreds of people, many of them paramedics and other emergency responders, offered their condolences to the victims' families.
The nurses and pilots who work in air ambulances are among the best trained in their fields, said Stephen Richey, a former flight respiratory therapist who lives in Indianapolis.
Pilots must be able to land on improvised landing sites on short notice, and the flight nurses on board often must deliver advance medical care to critically injured trauma patients.
The work draws those with years of experience and a deep commitment to helping patients, Richey said.
"You’ll never find a more dedicated group of professionals in your entire life," Richey said.
Medical flight crews also face daily risks. Richey became an aviation safety researcher after losing several friends in crashes, he said.
In October 2008, a medical helicopter crashed after striking a wire attached to a radio tower in Aurora, killing three crew members and a 1-year-old girl.
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3 dead in medical copter crash
