LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Three crew members were killed early today when the medical helicopter they were aboard crashed in Central Arkansas.

The Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter was flying to pick up a traffic accident victim when it went down near the Scotland community in Van Buren County about 4:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

"They were flying under (visual flight rules)," Lunsford said. "It doesn't appear they were talking to any air traffic controllers at the time."

No patients were aboard the Bell 206 aircraft.

The helicopter, built in 1978, was registered to Air Evac EMS, based in West Plains, Mo.

Investigators from the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were traveling to the crash site, Lunsford said, who is based in the FAA's regional office in Fort Worth, Texas.

Scotland is about 80 miles north of Little Rock in Central Arkansas.