Texas Flight Nurse Falls to Death During Hoist

April 28--1 a.m. update: STARFlight rescuer Kristin McLain died Monday night after falling from a medical helicopter, officials said.

McLain, 46, fell from the helicopter's hoist during a rescue in the Greenbelt area and was fatally injured, STARFlight program director Casey Ping said during a press briefing early Tuesday morning.

McLain, a registered nurse, had been with STARFlight for seven years, Ping said.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident. No other details were provided regarding McLain's death and Ping did not take any questions.

At about 9:50 p.m., STARFlight EC-145 had been searching for a woman who was injured when she fell in the Barton Creek Greenbelt. McLain was helping hoist the woman into the helicopter when she fell from the hoist. She died at the scene, Travis County officials said.

The initial female patient that prompted medics to an area near the 2600 block of Barton Hills Drive was rescued and transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge with non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

Earlier: A rescuer fell from the STARFlight medical helicopter into the Barton Creek Greenbelt Monday night.

Austin police said they had located a male victim near the area. Neither police or EMS officials have confirmed the identity of the victim, but sources familiar with the incident said he was a rescuer that fell from the helicopter.

Moments before the incident, medics were responding to a rescue in the Greenbelt. Just before 8:45 p.m., Austin-Travis County EMS headed to an area near the 2600 block of Barton Hills Drive on a report of a woman who had fallen from a cliff with injuries to her legs, officials said.

STARFlight responded to the rescue and located the woman from the air at about 8:50 p.m. Firefighters and paramedics came to her location and decided to remove her from the Greenbelt by placing her on a hoist attached to the helicopter, EMS said.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.