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SYLVESTER, Ga. — A Baptist Life Flight helicopter crashed July 24 in rural Georgia, killing the three-member crew. The accident occurred in a swampy area about 15 miles from Tifton as the helicopter was returning to its base at the Georgia Baptist Healthcare System’s hospital in Sylvester.

According to the Atlanta Constitution, those killed were pilot Bart Bradshaw, 31; flight nurse Renee Chapman, 29; and paramedic Michael Elam, 28. The crew had delivered a critically ill patient from a rural medical facility to a hospital in Savannah.

The National Transportation and Safety Board is investigating the accident. It was the first accident of any kind for the helicopter service that began in Atlanta in 1981 and has been widely praised for its life saving missions.