<p>Three crew members died in a medical helicopter crash in Oklahoma late Saturday after transporting a patient, according to the company that runs the service.</p>.<p>The company, Air Evac Lifeteam, said on social media that the crew members lost contact with the company's control center about 11:23 p.m. local time while they were returning to their base in Weatherford, about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City.</p>.<p>The company said the crew members were headed to Weatherford after transporting a patient in Oklahoma City. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the helicopter, a Bell 206L-3, crashed about midnight, although where exactly was not immediately clear.</p>.<p>Air Evac Lifeteam said it would not, at this time, publicly identify the crew members and that it was turning over the investigation to the National Transportation Safety Board.</p>.Local Taliban officials say two dead, four survivors in Afghanistan plane crash.<p>An NTSB investigator was expected to be at the crash scene Sunday to begin documenting and examining the aircraft, officials said.</p>.<p>The investigation will examine any recordings of air traffic control communications, radar data, weather reports, witness statements and a 72-hour background of the pilot to determine whether there were any issues that could have affected the pilot's ability to safely operate the flight, among other information.</p>.<p>"It is important to note that NTSB does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process," the agency said in a statement. "This is considered the fact-gathering phase of the investigation."</p>.<p>Air Evac Lifeteam operates more than 150 helicopter air ambulance bases in 18 states, according to its website. Crews consist of a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.</p>.<p>About 90 per cent of its patient transports originate from a rural area as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the company.</p>
<p>Three crew members died in a medical helicopter crash in Oklahoma late Saturday after transporting a patient, according to the company that runs the service.</p>.<p>The company, Air Evac Lifeteam, said on social media that the crew members lost contact with the company's control center about 11:23 p.m. local time while they were returning to their base in Weatherford, about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City.</p>.<p>The company said the crew members were headed to Weatherford after transporting a patient in Oklahoma City. The Federal Aviation Administration said that the helicopter, a Bell 206L-3, crashed about midnight, although where exactly was not immediately clear.</p>.<p>Air Evac Lifeteam said it would not, at this time, publicly identify the crew members and that it was turning over the investigation to the National Transportation Safety Board.</p>.Local Taliban officials say two dead, four survivors in Afghanistan plane crash.<p>An NTSB investigator was expected to be at the crash scene Sunday to begin documenting and examining the aircraft, officials said.</p>.<p>The investigation will examine any recordings of air traffic control communications, radar data, weather reports, witness statements and a 72-hour background of the pilot to determine whether there were any issues that could have affected the pilot's ability to safely operate the flight, among other information.</p>.<p>"It is important to note that NTSB does not determine cause in the early part of the investigative process," the agency said in a statement. "This is considered the fact-gathering phase of the investigation."</p>.<p>Air Evac Lifeteam operates more than 150 helicopter air ambulance bases in 18 states, according to its website. Crews consist of a pilot, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.</p>.<p>About 90 per cent of its patient transports originate from a rural area as defined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to the company.</p>