Copter that crashed in Chicago originated from Hobart hospital

A helicopter that crashlanded in a Chicago neighborhood along Interstate 57 on July 7 was heading to Christ Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Ill., from St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson confirmed Monday the helicopter was transporting a patient from Hobart before its pilot made an emergency landing. Knudson said he didn’t have information on why the patient was being transported.

A spokesperson for St. Mary Medical Center on Sunday deferred all questions to the NTSB and declined comment Monday on grounds of patient confidentiality.

Knudson said the Eurocopter 135 air ambulance crashed about 9:23 p.m. near the junction connecting Interstate 57 and the Bishop Ford Freeway with four people in it: the pilot, a paramedic, a flight nurse and the patient. The pilot made a mayday call before landing, Knudson said.

Knudson said the aircraft was removed from the scene around 4 p.m. Sunday and taken to Poplar Grove, Ill., for further examination. He said there was both surveillance video and cockpit video that appeared to be intact.

A full report on the crash should be available within two weeks, Knudson said.

The red helicopter appeared to have landed on its belly in the grassy median near Wentworth Avenue between 98th and 99th streets, according to earlier reports. Three of the four on board had made it out of the helicopter by time Chicago firefighters arrived, officials said.

Firefighters got the last patient out and took two to Advocate Christ Medical Center and two to University of Chicago Medical Center.

The original patient remained in critical condition, while the others were in stable condition, officials said at the scene.

Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the PostTribune.