Foggy Conditions at Time of Chopper Crash
Four people died in accident.
Federal investigators say a medical helicopter was not certified for flying in low-visibility conditions when it crashed last month with a patient in southeast Alabama, killing all four aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board reports the helicopter encountered fog and mist when it arrived near midnight at the scene of a highway wreck.
Investigators say the poor weather continued 23 minutes later, when the helicopter took off with a patient and then crashed near Enterprise, Alabama early on the morning of March 26.
The pilot, a flight nurse, a flight medic and the patient were killed.
The NTSB’s preliminary report says the chopper “was not certificated for flight” in such conditions.
Representatives of Louisiana-based Metro Aviation Inc., which operated the helicopter, didn’t immediately return phone calls and emails seeking comment.
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