Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Crashed plane destined for Clovis hospital

AMARILLO — An ambulance aircraft heading for Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis Saturday crashed according to the Amarillo Police Department.

Rico Air crew members, pilot Robin Nash and flight nurses Misty Nicholson and Scott Riola all died in the crash, according to Officer Jeb Hilton of the Amarillo Police Department.

APD had no further information regarding the crew members’ ages.

The crew was en route to pick up a patient from Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis to receive urgent medical care elsewhere, according to Clovis Municipal Airport Manager Kyle Berkshire.

Neither hospital nor airport officials would disclose information on the PRMC patient, either where the patient was scheduled to go or what was done as an alternative course of action after the crash.

The aircraft crashed shortly after departing the runway, said Berkshire.

The Clovis air ambulance was not running due to inclement weather Saturday, according to a Plains Regional employee who declined to be identified.

The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing, according to Hilton. After the APD secured the area, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration took over investigations.

“We are in the fact-gathering stage,” said Terry Williams, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board. “The aircraft has been moved and we should have a preliminary report out in about 5-7 days,” he said.

According to Hilton, the NTSB and FAA should be finished with the investigation by Saturday.

According to the Amarillo Globe News, devices were in place on the single-engine Pilatus PC-12 which will offer information regarding the status of the aircraft for the investigators to understand what caused the accident.

“Our department fully supports Rico Air,” says Michael Nolen, chief of the Clovis Fire Department. “All of our department is deeply grieved by the loss of the flight crew who often serve our community.”

According to the Amarillo Globe News, the aircraft crashed in a grassy field in an industrial part of the city, but nobody outside the plane was injured.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report

 
 
Rendered 03/11/2024 20:17