Investigators Probe Deadly Oklahoma Helicopter Crash

Federal investigators say a witness told them he saw a medical helicopter “descending in an abnormal fashion” before it hit the ground and burst into flames on July 22, killing two of three people on board.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Jason Aguilera said the witness reported seeing the helicopter rotating and appearing to be out of control.

The A-Star 350 helicopter had been traveling from Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City to an Okeene hospital when it crashed into a field near Kingfisher at night. Pilot Al Harrison and nurse Ryan Duke were killed, but paramedic Michael Eccard survived and is in serious condition at an Oklahoma City hospital.

Aguilera says investigators will look at the pilot’s flight records, the maintenance records of the helicopter and weather conditions.

He says the destruction caused by the fire will make the probe more difficult