A paramedic onboard the medical helicopter that crashed last month along Highway 50 in Sacramento reported the helicopter lost power while mid-air, a federal report released Tuesday indicates. | PREVIOUS COVERAGE ABOVE | Surviving crew members from Sacramento medical helicopter crash released from hospitalOn Oct. 6, an H130 aircraft operated by REACH Air Medical Services departed from the UC Davis Medical Center but was not in the air for very long before descending and crashing onto eastbound lanes of the highway near Stockton Boulevard.A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board stated that the on-board paramedic noticed the helicopter’s power had gone out and that the aircraft was autorotating toward the highway. The paramedic, later identified as Margaret “DeDe” Davis, subsequently made a mayday call on the company Flight Guard frequency.NTSB said there were apparent signs of main rotor damage on a nearby home’s fence that enclosed the highway.”Furthermore, a section of the outerportion of the main rotor blade was discovered embedded in the roof of a detached garage on a residential home located next to the highway, NTSB’s report stated.Flight records show the aircraft, which was headed toward McClellan Airport, had been airborne for fewer than 30 seconds. Dashcam video showed the helicopter quickly descending before tumbling across lanes. After coming to a rest, smoke poured out of the helicopter, likely from the aircraft’s fuel-resistant system that reduces the possibility of igniting upon crashing.Nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith died four days after the crash. Pilot Chad Millward and Davis have since been released from the hospital and are now receiving rehabilitative care.Rush-hour traffic posed a challenge for first responders trying to get to the crash site, and because the Sacramento Fire Department originally received a “vehicle extrication assignment,” crews were equipped to pull people from road vehicles, not helicopters.Bystanders got out of their vehicles to help firefighters lift the helicopter so one of the aircraft crew members could be pulled and sent to a hospital.NTSB’s Tuesday report is still preliminary, and more details may develop as the agency continues its investigation into determining the cause of the crash.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A paramedic onboard the medical helicopter that crashed last month along Highway 50 in Sacramento reported the helicopter lost power while mid-air, a federal report released Tuesday indicates.

| PREVIOUS COVERAGE ABOVE | Surviving crew members from Sacramento medical helicopter crash released from hospital

On Oct. 6, an H130 aircraft operated by REACH Air Medical Services departed from the UC Davis Medical Center but was not in the air for very long before descending and crashing onto eastbound lanes of the highway near Stockton Boulevard.

A preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board stated that the on-board paramedic noticed the helicopter’s power had gone out and that the aircraft was autorotating toward the highway. The paramedic, later identified as Margaret “DeDe” Davis, subsequently made a mayday call on the company Flight Guard frequency.

NTSB said there were apparent signs of main rotor damage on a nearby home’s fence that enclosed the highway.

“Furthermore, a section of the outerportion of the main rotor blade was discovered embedded in the roof of a detached garage on a residential home located next to the highway, NTSB’s report stated.

Flight records show the aircraft, which was headed toward McClellan Airport, had been airborne for fewer than 30 seconds. Dashcam video showed the helicopter quickly descending before tumbling across lanes. After coming to a rest, smoke poured out of the helicopter, likely from the aircraft’s fuel-resistant system that reduces the possibility of igniting upon crashing.

Nurse Susan “Suzie” Smith died four days after the crash. Pilot Chad Millward and Davis have since been released from the hospital and are now receiving rehabilitative care.

Rush-hour traffic posed a challenge for first responders trying to get to the crash site, and because the Sacramento Fire Department originally received a “vehicle extrication assignment,” crews were equipped to pull people from road vehicles, not helicopters.

Bystanders got out of their vehicles to help firefighters lift the helicopter so one of the aircraft crew members could be pulled and sent to a hospital.

NTSB’s Tuesday report is still preliminary, and more details may develop as the agency continues its investigation into determining the cause of the crash.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel