At approximately 10:10 a.m. on Wednesday, a UNC Air Operations medical plane crashed at RDU while carrying Dr. Paul Chelminski, an internal medicine physician with UNC Health. The plane was one of six in the UNC Air Operations fleet, which typically flies five to seven flights per day with between one to three people on board. Chelminski was taken to the hospital and released Wednesday afternoon, while the pilot, Art Johnson, was taken to Duke University Medical Center in Durham and is currently in fair condition.
According to UNC Health, Chelminski had just given a lecture at Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington before the crash occurred. Amanda Cotton, a nurse practitioner who works with UNC Air Operations, emphasized the importance of the service provided by the organization. She stated that it makes the lives of medical professionals much easier by allowing them to travel more efficiently. Instead of having 19 patients travel back to Chapel Hill for treatment, Cotton can now easily travel to different locations for work.
The weather at the time of the crash was mostly cloudy but no rain was reported. Weather is not believed to be a factor in the incident. The cause of the crash is still being investigated by authorities and UNC Health officials are working closely with them to determine what happened and how it can be prevented from happening again in the future.