A former chief deputy for the Laurel County sheriff's office was among three men killed Thursday night in Manchester when a medical helicopter crashed, Missouri-based Air Evac Lifeteam officials said Friday.
Eddie Sizemore, the pilot, was also a former London police officer, said Laurel County Sheriff's Office Public Affairs Deputy Gilbert Acciardo. Sizemore retired as a deputy in the sheriff's office but came back in 2011 as chief deputy, Acciardo said. Sizemore, who was in his early 60's, left the sheriff's office earlier this year for the pilot's job.
Also killed were flight paramedic Herman "Lee" Dobbs and flight nurse Jesse Jones, according to Lifeteam.
"He enjoyed flying," Acciardo said of Sizemore, who has previously and worked on helicopters in the U.S. Military in the Vietnam War era. "That was his passion." He said Sizemore was had previously flown and worked on helicopters in the U.S. military in the Vietnam War era.
The accident occurred around 11:16 p.m. Thursday while the helicopter was on its final approach to its Manchester base. The helicopter was returning from transporting a patient to a hospital in London. No patients were on board.
"We are devastated at this loss," Air Evac Lifeteam President and CEO Seth Myers said in a news release. "These were members of our family. Our focus at this time is on providing support for the family and friends of these crew members."
The cause of the accident is unknown, company officials said.
"Officials with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have been notified and will begin their formal investigation'," the release said.
Air Evac Lifeteam has a safety program, which includes the use of flight simulators for scenario-based training of pilots, the release said.
Copyright 2013 - Lexington Herald-Leader
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
