Iowa Medevac Crash Kills Three

Communities surrounding Mason City, Iowa, continue to grieve after a medevac helicopter carrying three crew members crashed Jan. 3, 2013, in a field, burst into flames and killed the paramedic, nurse and pilot aboard. According to media reports, no patients were aboard the aircraft as it headed from Mercy Medical Center – North Iowa just north of Ventura in Cerro Gordo County about 9 p.m. that night. The dedicated emergency medical team that was killed in this tragedy served northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. The Rotocraft 407 helicopter that was involved was manufactured in 2009 by Bell Helicopter’s Textron Canadian division. It was powered by a turbo-shaft 250-C47B engine designed by Rolls-Royce. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reportedly said it could take up to 18 months to determine the probable cause of this crash.