Three Injured In Indiana Medical Chopper Crash

A medical helicopter crashed into a garage early Thursday morning, injuring three people on board.

The PHI Air Medical chopper took off at about 1:45 a.m. from the Anderson Municipal Airport and crashed shortly thereafter.

A pilot, paramedic and nurse were injured in the crash. The company identified them as Mark Bumstead, Dan Kelly and Jennifer Stringfellow. All were transported to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis with several injuries, RTV6's Eric Weisfeld reported. Two of the victims were undergoing surgery Thursday afternoon.

Emergency responders said all of the victims were awake and alert after the crash. Officials said the pilot had contact with ground control up until the crash.

"It just sounded like the motor quit or something," said Jack Carr II. "It woke everybody up. Hell, the ground shook."

Witnesses said the helicopter began going down near State Road 32. It crashed into some power lines, before hitting the ground near a detached garage behind a house and skidding into the garage.

The owner of the home where the chopper went down, Malba Benefiel, was not home at the time, RTV6's Jennifer Carmack reported.

"I couldn't believe it," Benefiel said, as she cried. "It was my mom and dad's house. It just went through the garage. It didn't touch the house."

Investigators said the helicopter was en route to Kokomo to pick up a patient when it crashed 10 miles southwest of Muncie.

"When my officers arrived, the pilot was trying to get out of the aircraft," said Chesterfield Police Chief James Kimm. "This is one of the strangest things we've ever had that I can remember."

The FAA and NTSB were at the scene of the crash to investigate. Officials speculated that heavy fog might have played a role in the accident.

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