Engines failed on air ambulance helicopter that crashed: NTSB report

It appears the engines of an air ambulance helicopter failed earlier this month when the aircraft crashed into a grassy field just off the shoulder of Interstate 57 on the South Side, according to a preliminary report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

Four people were on the helicopter when it crashed about 9:20 p.m. on July 7. All survived, but the flight nurse sustained serious injuries, while the pilot and paramedic sustained minor injuries, the report states.

The patient — who was being transported from St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart, Indiana, to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn — was not injured in the crash, the report states.

The pilot had requested to return to the Gary, Indiana, airport. About 50 seconds later, he declared a “mayday” and said the helicopter was going down into a field, according to the report.

The aircraft came to rest upright in a grassy field near the junction of I-57 and Interstate 94.

Surveillance video from a CTA facility near the crash site captured the crash and an explosion after impact, the report states.

A complete NTSB report into the cause of the accident is expected to take several months to complete.