Posted by chicagomedia.org on October 16, 2008 at 07:06:45:
In Reply to: WBIG off the air posted by Mike G on October 16, 2008 at 05:23:10:
Helicopter crashes in Aurora
Three crew members and a 1-year-old were killed when a medical helicopter exploded and crashed into a field late Wednesday in west suburban Aurora, authorities and witnesses said.
After the crash, authorities evacuated residents in the nearby AMLI subdivision because a portion of a radio station antenna involved in the crash was unstable.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified of a helicopter crash at the northeast corner of North Eola Road and Liberty Street just before midnight Thursday, FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.
The helicopter was en route to Children’s Memorial Hospital from Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich when went it went down, Isham Cory said. The Bell 222 helicopter was based at Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, she said.
Authorities said three crew members and a 1-year-old girl on the Air Angels aircraft were killed. The DuPage County Coroner’s office was on the scene early Thursday, but was not immediately available for comment.
Air Angels, Inc. is a full-service air and ground critical care transportation provider founded in 1998, according to the company’s Web site. The helicopters in the midwest primarily operate in Illinois and Indiana.
Aurora Fire Department Assistant Chief John Lehman said the tower for 1280 WBIG-AM radio was involved in the incident. Two of the tower’s guy wires were impacted during the crash and the top 20 feet of the tower were unstable. Lehman said authorities were worried the wires could damage nearby residences, prompting an evacuation.
Authorities noted the helicopter was flying lower than the radio station tower, which is 690 feet tall, according to station officials. WBIG has been pulled off the air, according to station President Rick Jakle and General Manager Steve Marten.
Witness Mike Maddox, who was driving on Indian Trail Road, said he saw an big orange arc in the sky, an explosion then a helicopter landing and exploding again. At 1:13 a.m., Maddox said the fire was out, but was still waiting to give his statement to police.
An Aurora police officer who did not want to be named said the crash happened on the east side of Aurora and police and fire officials remained on the scene early Thursday.
The cause of the crash is not immediately known and the National Transportation Board and FAA are investigating, Isham Cory said.
A mobile command station has been established north of the crash site at the Jewel grocery on the 1100 block of North Eola Road. Eola Road remained closed between Liberty Street and North Aurora Road early Thursday.
(Chicago Sun-Times)