A medical helicopter crashed Saturday east of Nashville, Tennessee, killing one crew member and seriously injuring two others, authorities said. The aircraft, belonging to the air ambulance service Vanderbilt LifeFlight, was not transporting patients at the time of the accident. The accident occurred minutes after takeoff The crash occurred around 1:45 p.m. in a field between the towns of Lebanon and Gallatin, about 22 miles (35 kilometers) east of Nashville, according to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office. The helicopter—an Airbus EC130T2, manufactured in 2015—crashed about 12 miles (19 kilometers) south of Music City Executive Airport and its home base at the Sumner County Emergency Operations Center. According to flight tracking websites FlightAware and Flightradar24, the aircraft took off from the operations center at 1:33 p.m. and crashed just eight minutes later. One crew member died in the crash. The crew consisted of a pilot, a paramedic, and a nurse, as is typical for this type of medical mission. One of them died at the scene of the crash, while the other two were rushed to Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, where they remain in critical condition. “Our hearts and deepest condolences go out to our colleagues at Vanderbilt LifeFlight, their families, and loved ones during this difficult time,” the institution said in a statement. A federal investigation is underway. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) confirmed that it has opened an investigation to determine the cause of the crash, while local and state emergency crews secured the perimeter of the accident. The helicopter was part of the Vanderbilt LifeFlight fleet, one of the most recognized air medical transport services in the southeastern United States, operating since 1984 and providing emergency care in Tennessee and neighboring states.