MORGAN COUNTY, Colorado — A Med Evac helicopter made an emergency landing Tuesday afternoon after an in-air emergency.
The Morgan County Sheriff's Office received a mayday distress call from the helicopter around 2:30 p.m. and their intent to land in a field near the 17000 block of County Road T5 in Morgan County. Deputies responded to the scene and found the helicopter in the field.
They contacted the pilot and staff onboard the helicopter and learned that the aircraft's windshield had been damaged after a bird strike, according to the sheriff's office. The pilot had minor injuries and nobody else onboard was injured, the sheriff's office said in a post on Facebook.
The pilot and two nurses were the only ones aboard the helicopter when the incident happened.
Fort Morgan Fire, Morgan County Ambulance and Fort Morgan Police all assisted with the call, the sheriff's office said.
On Tuesday, Banner Health Northern Colorado released a statement about the incident:
"This afternoon, a Med Evac helicopter suffered a bird strike while enroute to pick up a patient outside of Fort Morgan. The pilot landed the aircraft safely. We are extremely proud of the skill and composure demonstrated by Banner Health’s Med Evac pilot and two crew members who were onboard. Med Evac will be cooperating with local officials, FAA and NTSB to fully investigate the incident."
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate.
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