By Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As investigators work to determine what caused an Airbus EC130 T2 medical helicopter to crash onto busy Highway 50 critically injuring the three aboard, Monday’s dramatic crash in Sacramento highlights the critical role of air ambulances and the perils their pilots and crew face in the skies.

“Every day these helicopter crews ferry patients in dire need from around the North State to advanced medical facilities elsewhere in California,” state Sen. Megan Dahle, R-Bieber, who represents the Shasta County area district where the Reach air crew was based, said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash of the copter, operated by Santa Rosa-based Reach Air Medical Services, NT

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