Both engines may have failed just before a medical helicopter crashed along Interstate 57 on the city’s Far South Side earlier this month, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The helicopter took off from St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Ind., and was en route to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn on July 7 when it crashed around 9:20 p.m. in a grassy median off the highway near Wentworth Avenue between 98th and 99th streets in the Fernwood neighborhood, according to the report.
The report, released Thursday, said the aircraft was about 5 miles southeast of Advocate Christ Medical Center when the pilot made a right turn after requesting they return to the airport in Gary, Ind.
About 50 seconds later, the pilot called for a “mayday” and said the helicopter would go down. It landed upright between the Interstate 94 and 57 split.
The pilot and paramedic suffered minor injuries, and a flight nurse was seriously injured, the report said. The patient was not injured during the crash, but the Chicago Fire Department said the patient was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
The NTSB secured surveillance footage from a nearby CTA platform that showed an explosion after the helicopter crashed. It is reviewing voice, video and data from the helicopter’s communication systems.
The NTSB will release a final report when the investigation is completed.
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