A pilot, nurse, and paramedic had headed out on the air ambulance around 12:40 Wednesday morning.
Dr. Gary Pablo, Sacred Heart Health Services Medical Director: "The crew responded to a call from Healthmark Regional Medical Center in Defuniak Springs, requesting a transfer of a critically ill cardiac patient to a hospital in Pensacola."
But minutes later, they radioed the Walton County Emergency Operations Center that they were coming back due to bad weather.
That was the last anyone heard from them.
But apparently no one realized the crew and the chopper were missing until shift change at daybreak, hours later.
Randy Layman, Director of Airheart: "From what we're gathering it was actually part of an Airheart flight crew that was coming in on duty that morning, notified dispatch, asking the location of the aircraft, at which time the investigation started."
Typically Airheart One would radio in when it landed, and contact the dispatch center every ten minutes.
Dr. Pablo: "This is clearly one of the questions we have and the F-A-A is going to have to look into this with us and when we find out more information about this we'll certainly share that with you."
In the meantime, the shock of the accident is sinking in.
Roger Hall, Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast: "This is a tragedy to all of us; from the hospital, to the EMS, to the firefighters, to the commnity, to the lives that these people have saved, are all grieving enormously right now."
The pilot had 26 years experience, including 11,000 hours in that type of aircraft.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday night, two bodies had been recovered.
Searchers were still looking for the third person.
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