John Auld III, 26 who went by the nickname Trey, of Shreveport, Louisiana was killed
Officials say a medical helicopter has crashed in rural Arkansas, killing all three people on board.
The Arkansas Department of Emergency Management confirms the helicopter went down Sunday night near the Arkansas County town of DeWitt, about 60 miles southeast of Little Rock.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the aircraft was flying from Pine Bluff to DeWitt at the time of the wreck. There were no patients were on board.
Pafford Air One identified the victims as 46-year-old pilot Michael Bollen of Hot Springs, 61-year-old flight nurse James Lawson Spruiell of Sulligent, Alabama; and 26-year-old flight paramedic John Auld III, who went by the nickname Trey, of Shreveport, Louisiana.
FAA investigators are heading to the crash site, and the National Transportation Safety Board says it’s investigating.
46-year-old pilot Michael Bollen of Hot Springs, left, and 61-year-old flight nurse James Lawson Spruiell of Sulligent, Alabama were both killed in the accident
Emergency services attended the crash site minutes after impact but all three on board died
The Bell 407 helicopter belonged to Pafford EMS, which provides emergency transport in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma (file photo)
Pilot, Michael Bollen, seen with his son Jack
Deputies spoke with a woman who lived in the vicinity of the crash who said she witnessed the helicopter go down and could see a fire from her location.
When deputies arrived at the scene, they discovered the helicopter had been consumed by fire and the fire department was still working to extinguish fire in the rear part of the aircraft.
The Bell 407 helicopter belonged to Pafford EMS, which provides emergency transport in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
The company said on its Facebook page that it’s ‘devastated by the sudden loss of three of our team members.’
Dustin Ross, Director for Pafford Air One released the following statement:
‘We are all devastated and profoundly saddened by the tragic loss of these valued EMS colleagues and friends. We will continue to try and comfort the crew’s families as well as everyone in our employ.’
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
26-year-old flight paramedic John Auld III, perished in the crash. He was a proud member of the team and would often post pictures from his job onto his Facebook page