First responders routinely put themselves at risk in their mission to serve the public, and sometimes those risks are realized with deadly consequences.

All three crew members of a medical transport helicopter were pronounced dead after their aircraft suffered unspecified flight control issues and crashed in a rural area in Mississippi on Monday, People magazine reported.

The three men were returning to base after dropping off a patient at a hospital when the issues arose and the pilot unsuccessfully attempted to land the malfunctioning helicopter in a remote field when the fatal accident occurred.

Three crew members of medical transport flight killed in crash

According to a brief incident report from the Federal Aviation Administration, a Eurocopter EC-135 carrying three people crashed in a wooded area near Jackson, Mississippi around 1:15 in the afternoon.

The deadly incident is now being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, with the NTSB taking the lead role in the probe.

The grim news was shared on Tuesday by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which stated, "We are heartbroken by the loss of the crew of AirCare 3 during yesterday's crash in Madison County."

The three individuals on board the crashed helicopter were identified as Dustin Pope, 35; Jakob Kindt, 37; and Cal Wesolowski, 62.

"UMMC will continue to provide support for the families of the fallen, our AirCare and Mississippi Center for Emergency Services teams, and the countless others who worked with them in any way we can," the hospital added.

Helicopter crashed after experiencing "flight control" issues

Local CBS affiliate WJTV reported that the bodies of the three men on board the crashed helicopter were recovered from the wreckage and later transported with honor by a motorcade and other first responders from the Madison County Coroner’s Office to the State Crime Lab.

The outlet noted that Pope and Kindt worked for UMMC since 2017, with Pope as the base supervisor and flight nurse and Kindt as a critical care paramedic, while Med-Trans employed Wesolowski as a helicopter pilot.

According to officials, the crew had just finished dropping off a patient at UMMC and were returning to their base in Columbus when the aircraft lost communication with air traffic control but notified the base of an unspecified "flight control problem" and their intent to attempt an emergency landing in an empty field.

A short time later, there was a 911 call about a helicopter crash and subsequent explosion, and it took several hours before the resultant fire could be extinguished by first responders to the crash site.

Governor extends condolences

In a statement on Facebook, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said he and his wife were "praying for the victims of today’s helicopter crash in Madison County," and he asked others to "Please keep the victims’ families and coworkers in your prayers."

"It’s a tragic reminder of the risks Mississippi’s first responders take every day to keep us safe. Our state will never forget the sacrifice of these heroes," the governor added.