An air ambulance on its way to pick up a patient crashed Sunday night near Bismarck, killing all three people on board.
The Associated Press reports that the twin-engine plane operated by Bismarck Air Medical took off at about 10:30 p.m. en route to Williston and crashed shortly afterward. Air traffic control lost contact with the plane at about 11 p.m., Morton County spokesperson Maxine Herr said.
Military officials involved in the response said the plane, which was carrying a paramedic, a registered nurse and a pilot who have not been identified, may have broken up in midair.
“It is a sad day here for both of our organizations,” Kurt Schley, president of CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck, and Dan Schaefer, operations chief for Bismarck Air Medical and Metro Area Ambulance Operations, said. “We are grieving for the family members of those who were on board.”
The Morton County Sheriff’s Office, Civil Air Patrol and Air Force Rescue Coordination Center based at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, FL, located the crash scene early Monday using radar and cellphone technology, Herr said.
An analysis by the Air Force team indicated the plane might have broken up at about 14,000 feet, and “that corresponded with what they found on the ground,” said Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Sean Johnson.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of last night’s airplane crash that claimed the lives of the pilot, a paramedic and a registered nurse — individuals who dedicated their lives to saving the lives of others,” North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said in a statement. “We are forever grateful for their service.”
