The helicopter crashed at 5:53 a.m. Monday, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen.
Bergen said no flight plan was filed for the helicopter, which was headed to a Gainesville hospital, Shands at the University of Florida.
Clay County Sheriff's Office spokesman Russ Burke told The Florida Times-Union the helicopter originally left the St. Augustine airport.
The helicopter was carrying heart surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla and procurement technician David Hines of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. Sheriff's officials say the name of the pilot has not been released.
Mayo Clinic spokesman Layne Smith said the heart they were to pick up could not be used in another transplant because its viability expired. The patient is back on the waiting list for a new organ.
Kathy Giery, a spokeswoman for Shands' LifeQuest Organ Recovery Service, told The Gainesville Sun that finding a new match for that heart would have taken longer than the roughly four-hour window between the harvest and transplant operations.
"In a last-minute situation like this one, there is no time, actually, to regroup and start over," Giery said.
1 COMMENTS:
My heartfelt prayers go out for the loss of these lives. They lost their lives in a helicopter crash en route to take a heart to be transplanted to a patient. The Dr., Tech, & pilot are true heros to all. They were racing to save a life!! I Honor these men & pray for their families,friends & Mayo Clinic Jacksonville,Florida co-workers.
In honor of these men, sign up to be a organ donor or offer to be a living kidney donor!! It is about saving lives! <3
Joan Elizabeth Waddell
Kidney Transplant
Dec.11, 1974
Mayo Clinic (Methodist Hospital)
Rochester,MN
***Donate Life*** You will never regret it. My brother is well....37yrs later. He donated his kidney to me. Praise God for Organ Donation, Science, Technology & many Transplant Surgeons who save lives every day!!!!! <3
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