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UK resumes helicopter operations LEXINGTON — The University of Kentucky Air Medical Services plans to resume service today. The program suspended service for two days following Monday's fatal crash of one of their helicopters in Jackson. UK says they suspended the service to give co-workers of the victims time to grieve and recover, and not because of a concern over the safety of the helicopter. The cause of the crash is still unknown. UK will resume its air ambulance service this morning, with the helicopter flying from the Chandler Medical Center in Lexington. UK's flight dispatching service will work with other air medical services to help answer calls if UK can't get to them. Late Monday night, their Jackson-based helicopter, a leased Sikorsky S-76A, crashed into the side of a mountain in Breathitt County shortly after lifting off from the airport near Jackson. The crash killed pilots Don Greene of Somerset and Ernest L. Jones Jr. of the Cleveland, Ohio, area, along with flight nurse Sheila Zellers of Elizabethtown and Brian Harden, a paramedic who lived in Richmond. There were no patients on board. The crew, which is based in Jackson only during the day and evening, was headed back to Lexington for the night. Reports state that there was dense fog in the area at the time. Some witnesses reported that the helicopter sounded odd or seemed to stall as it passed low overhead, but investigators have not confirmed those reports. Investigators say they have extracted useful information from the cockpit voice recorder recovered Tuesday. However, they would not disclose what the pilots said on the recording or even whether the tape indicates the crew members knew they had trouble or what the information indicates about the cause of the crash. Kentucky forensic anthropologist Dr. Emily Craig said she finished recovering the remains of the four victims yesterday. However, there has been no official identification of the bodies yet because the medical examiner's office needed medical and dental records from the families. UK has not decided whether to continue stationing a helicopter in Jackson. ``I would be very disappointed'' if UK doesn't station a chopper in Jackson, said Mike Johnson, director of Life Care Ambulance in Breathitt County. For additional information, visit the following Internet links (these external links may only be available for a limited time):
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