Honorees

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Year Honored
1996
Honoree
Patricia A Riccobono
Agency
Lehigh Valley Hospital
Agency City
Allentown
Agency State
PA
Last Call
4/28/82
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
Four people were killed April 27, 1982 when a medical evacuation helicopter from an Allentown hospital crashed in a field during a driving rain after picking up a critically injured auto accident victim. The helicopter had been dispatched from the Allentown and Sacred Heart Hospital Center after a car full of teenagers struck a utility pole shortly after 11:00 pm in a rural farming area northwest of Allentown.<br /> <br /> The helicopter had landed at the scene of the accident, picked up the patient and lifted off before midnight, gained height after takeoff and traveled about 500 yards, veered sharply downward and crashed into a nearby field.<br /> <br /> The copter crew consisted of Patricia, a flight medic, Jeannette M. Christ, a flight nurse; and the pilot, Jim Landis. The 19 year-old accident victim also died in the crash.<br /> <br /> All the victims had been thrown out of the helicopter on impact. Patricia, 24, was the flight medic and had been employed by the Allentown and Sacred Heart Hospital since January 1982. Prior to that she was employed by the Lancaster Orthopedic Hospital. She was a member of St. Matthew's Catholic Church of East Stroudsburg.<br /> <br /> The daughter of Frank and Josephine Riccobono, Patricia is also survived by three brothers, and several aunts and nephews. Although only employed by the Allentown hospital for less than four months, Patricia, is sorely missed by her family, friends and fellow workers.<br /> <br /> Honored 1996