Clouds contributed to helicopter crash

EUFAULA, Okla. (AP) – A federal investigator says the pilot of a medical helicopter that crashed last week in eastern Oklahoma had encountered a lowering cloud ceiling and was trying to turn the aircraft around before it struck trees and rocky terrain.

Pilot Matt Mathews was killed and two crew members, nurse Kim Ramsey and paramedic Ryan Setzkorn, sustained injuries that weren’t life-threatening after the EagleMed LLC helicopter crashed late Thursday near Eufaula.

Tom Latson, an investigator with National Transportation Safety Board, tells the McAlester News-Capital (http://bit.ly/1O16jw9 ) the crew had just taken a patient to a Tulsa hospital and was flying back to McAlester Regional Airport.

Latson says the pilot decided to return to Tulsa because of the lowering clouds. Latson adds a thorough investigation will seek to identify what caused the crash.