Medical chopper reported 'flight control problem' before crash that killed 3 on board in Mississippi

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CANTON, Miss. (AP) — A medical helicopter that crashed in a wooded area in Mississippi reported “a flight control problem” shortly before a Monday crash that killed all three people on board, federal authorities said.

The pilot was going to attempt to land the helicopter in a field, according to radio traffic from the chopper to its company’s communications base. It crashed shortly after that and caught fire, authorities said.

Investigators found marks in trees consistent with the aircraft's rotor striking them, National Transportation Safety Board member J. Todd Inman said at a Tuesday briefing near the crash site.

Killed were crew members Jakob Kindt, 37, of Tupelo, Mississippi, and Dustin Pope, 35, of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the University of Mississippi Medical Center said in a statement. The pilot, Cal Wesolowski, 62, of Starkville, Mississippi, also died. Wesolowski worked for Med-Trans Corp., which partners with health care systems and agencies to provide medical flights.

The helicopter was returning to its base in Columbus, Mississippi, from a patient transport when it crashed in Madison County around 12:30 p.m. Monday, the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s vice chancellor for health affairs, Dr. LouAnn Woodward, said at a news conference.

“The entire Medical Center family is heartbroken over this,” Woodward said.