Medical Helicopter Crashes in Florida with 3 Onboard

Dr. Luis Bonilla, David Hines and E. Hoke Smith

Three people, a pilot and two medical personnel, lost their lives monday morning when their helicopter went down. The aircraft was en route to the Shands at University of Florida in Gainesville. The flight, which originated at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville at 5:45 a.m., did not have a patient on board.

The accident site is located on the Clay and Putnam county line near Palatka in Northeast Florida.

Memorial page honoring the crew
Dr. Rupp/Mayo Clinic Message
Pilot in Mayo Clinic copter crash had spent life flying, son says
Mayo Clini Rremembers Dr. Luis Bonilla
Mayo Clinic Remembers David- Hines

No injuries reported in helicopter crash

No one was injured in a helicopter crash north of Rock Springs, Wyoming early Tuesday evening. At the scene, Sheriff Rich Haskell said Undersheriff Craig Jackson was on Yellowstone Road about 3 miles north of the city when he saw a helicopter circling west of the roadway around 6 p.m. He then observed the helicopter drop straight to the ground from a relatively low altitude.  Jackson investigated and found the craft to be a Guardian Flight helicopter with five people aboard, none of whom were patients. None were injured in the crash. Haskell said federal officials are being notified and will be in charge of the investigation. He said he planned on releasing additional information on Wednesday.

Information from: Rock Springs Rocket-Miner

Air ambulance crash kills three

William Didier, John W. Bialek, and Ilomae Bialek

On Monday night, November 28th, a medical airplane operated by Trans North Aviation crashed near Riverwoods Illinois en route to Chicago from Jesup, Georgia.  The pilot, William Didier, patient John Bialek, and his wife Ilomae did not survive. The flight paramedic and a pilot in traing survived the accident.

Memorial Page Honoring William Didier
Article: Brother Reflects on Life of Pilot 

Life Flight, March 3, 1980

This morning we received a thoughtfully written synopsis of the Life Flight accident in Des Moines Iowa on March 3, 1980. Included were photos of the crewmembers, Hallie Burns, Maureen Griffin and Nick Roetnor, as well as the aircraft. These were submitted through our web site anonymously, and I would like to thank whomever took the time to scan these clippings and help us tell more of the story.

I’m sure, to many people, it may seem like 1980 was a long time ago, and any healing that needed to happen as a result of this accident has taken place. The reality is, for those closest to the victims, the pain never really leaves or fades, but rather becomes a new realty.

Hallie Burns, Maureen Griffin and Nick Roetnor

We hope that our efforts will help others live in that new realty by creating a permanent place recognizing Hallie, Maureen, Nick and many others.

Someone held on to the article for many years. This person may have been a family member, a team member or a friend, but they refused to let their memory pass. They wanted us to know more, and now we do.

One of the founding principles of this organization is to recognize every fallen crewmember and to learn their story. Thank to this person, we now have faces to go with their names and the importance of the memorial becomes even greater.

Together, we remember and honor.

Visit the Life Flight crew page.