At around 10:10 a.m., a UNC Air Operations medical plane carrying Dr. Paul Chelminski, an internal medicine physician with UNC Health, crashed at RDU. 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 in fair condition.
The particular plane that crashed was one of a fleet of six, with UNC Air Operations typically flying five to seven flights every day, usually with between one to three people on board. An average day for one of these planes could involve flying a UNC dental school faculty member to a conference in Asheville or transporting medical residents to Wilmington to see patients at a clinic.
Amanda Cotton, a nurse practitioner, emphasized the importance of the service provided by UNC Air Operations, stating that it makes the lives of medical professionals easier by allowing them to travel more efficiently. She mentioned that instead of having 19 patients travel back to Chapel Hill, it is more convenient for her to 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.