A second company says they turned down the transport of a patient from southeast Ohio before a crew with Survival Flight was killed in a crash.
In a statement, HealthNet Aeromedical Services said their base in Jackson County, West Virginia was requested to travel to Holzer Medical Center in Pomeroy to transfer a patient to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus on Tuesday.
HealthNet said the pilot assigned to the base declined to complete the flight due to “atmospheric conditions which fell below published operational weather minimums.”
On Wednesday, MedFlight released a statement saying they turned down the transport due to weather conditions that were "below their program’s standards."
Shortly after 7 a.m., Ohio State Highway Patrol were notified by Survival Flight, the company who accepted the transport, that communications were lost with the helicopter traveling to Pomeroy.
The wreckage of the helicopter was found in Vinton County.
Pilot Jennifer Topper and flight nurses Bradley Haynes and Rachel Cunningham were killed in the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.
Full statement form HealthNet Aeromedical Services:
"HealthNet Aeromedical Services has received media inquiries regarding a flight request made to our program prior to an accident involving another air medical service on January 29, 2019. To remain transparent, we are releasing information pertaining to that transport request.
On January 29 at 6:16 a.m., HealthNet Aeromedical Service's base in Jackson County, West Virginia was requested to respond to Holzer Medical Center - Meigs Campus in Pomeroy, Ohio to transport a patient to Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
At 6:20 a.m., the Air Methods Corporation pilot assigned to that base declined to complete the flight due to atmospheric conditions which fell below published operational weather minimums.
HealthNet Aeromedical Services mourns the loss of our colleagues from Survival Flight and will provide any support possible to their team members during this most difficult of times."
