A medical helicopter crashed and caught fire in a Hartford, Illinois, street during a training event. The helicopter had three people aboard, all of them suffering non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the event remains unknown.
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The Hartford Fire Department
announced hours before the incident that the department would be hosting ARCH Medical for training on Thursday, April 24. As part of the training, the medical helicopter was to land in an empty lot across Date Street. The fire department instructed residents not to be alarmed and not to approach the helicopter.However, hours later, Air Methods, ARCH's parent company,
announced that at approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday, the medical helicopter was "involved in an incident" shortly after departing a fire station. This was confirmed by the Hartford Fire Department the following day, sharing that an "unknown event occurred causing an accident."According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) incident report obtained by PEOPLE, the helicopter "impacted [by] terrain for unknown reasons during the crew's return to base." The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are currently investigating the incident.
Fortunately, all people on board, a pilot and two crew members, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. All three were rushed to local hospitals and were listed in stable condition.
Mid-Air Fire
While giving remarks to Fox 2, a local resident described how the whole incident went down.
"It went up maybe a foot, it started hitting the trees, and stuff was flying," resident Ashley Quigley said. "It was twisting all over, all of the sudden it came down with a big boom and started catching fire."
"The fire truck came around and started trying to put it out. The fire went out a little bit but then it started going back up in big smoke again and they were just trying to grab the people who were on the ground, trying to help them. It was literally the craziest thing I've ever seen."
Illinois State Representative Amy Elik issued a short statement moments after the crash took place.
"We are aware of the terrible helicopter crash in Hartford and ask for your prayers for those injured tonight," Elik wrote on
Facebook. "This is a terrifying situation and we are still learning details."
