Honorees

← Back to directory

Year Honored
1996
Honoree
Nancy C. Brandon
Agency
Air Care Helicopter/Good Samaritan Hospital
Agency City
Kearney
Agency State
Nebraska
Last Call
12/20/1985
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Nancy, 32, was a flight nurse for Air Care and had served with Good Samaritan's flight program since 1983. Additionally, she was an intensive care and emergency nurse.Nancy died during the crash of the Air Care helicopter en route to Ainsworth to transfer an eight-year-old child injured in a sledding accident to an Omaha hospital.The helicopter never arrived in Ainsworth, but went down approximately 15 minutes before its estimated time of arrival. No distress signal was issued, and the local sheriff's department began trying to contact the helicopter after it was 15 minutes overdue.A search by local authorities and volunteers was immediately started. Unfortunately, the wreckage of the helicopter was reported shortly before midnight, but could not be confirmed until the next morning.At the time of the accident a freezing rain was reported and several inches of snow covered the ground.The following excerpt written by Nancy for Air Care's newsletter Heligram expressed the pride she felt in the service they provided: "As each year passes we see continued growth of our program.With the increase in numbers of flights, we are constantly challenged by the diversity of the patients we transport.Our goal is to continue to advance our knowledge in the care and transport of critically ill patients. "Honored 1996