A patient was killed and two other people were critically injured Tuesday when a medical helicopter crashed at a hospital in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, authorities said.
The Eagle Med helicopter was carrying the patient, a pilot, a nurse and a paramedic when it crashed on takeoff from Choctaw Nation Health Care Center near Talihina, about 150 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, about 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET), said Janet Sharp, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
The helicopter lost power and caught on fire when it hit the ground, Sharp said in a statement
The state Highway Patrol told NBC News that the patient was the person who died and that the nurse on board was being transported to St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
Choctaw tribal police were heading the investigation because Talihina is on land under the jurisdiction of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The Highway Patrol told NBC News that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were also sending investigators.
Tricia Culligan of NBC News contributed to this report.