A pilot and two nurses from a Rockford hospital were killed Monday night in a medical helicopter crash in Lee County, authorities confirm.

The helicopter was traveling from Rockford Memorial Hospital to a hospital in Mendota, Ill. when it crashed around 8:30 p.m., according to Federal Aviation Association spokesperson Tony Molinaro.

Pilot Andy Olson and flight nurses Jim Dillow and Karen Hollis were identified as the deceased. No patients were aboard the helicopter.

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The helicopter went down in a cornfield in Compton, a small town near Rochelle. The debris scattered across the entire field, according to Lee County Sheriff John R. Varga.

"Basically what we got was a phone call of an aircraft flying low," Varga said. "People in the area were familiar enough with aircraft that comes across this way, and one of the farmers in the area actually spotted the wreckage."

Federal inspectors are investigating what caused the crash.

"At Rockford Health System, our hearts our heavy," the hospital said in a statement. "We grieve the loss of three heroes who dedicated their careers to serving others." 

The health system said they're looking into the possibility of weather playing a role in the crash. At 8 p.m. Monday, light snow and flurries were reported at an airport near Rochelle.

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Harvard Medical School officials promised to improve conditions at the school's research center after a federal report cited a number of problems involving the treatment and condition of its animals -- including the death of one primate.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture report listed five citations at the New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, The Boston Globe reported on Wednesday.

The citations, including one issued in the death of one primate in October, involved concern over the center's enclosures and hair loss and unusual behavior of its four monkeys. The report said the research facility had corrected all of its citations.

The primate’s death, which happened after the animal escaped from its cage in October, was the second animal death at the facility in 2011, according to the Globe. In February, a primate died at another Harvard facility after anaesthesia was improperly administered, the Globe reported.

According to The Telegram & Gazette newspaper of Worcester, Mass., USDA spokesman David Sacks said no action has taken place and he didn’t know if an investigation would ensue.

“Is five a pretty large number of non-compliances? It is. But are they reaching a level of egregious mishandling or systemic problems in terms of inhumane treatment of animals? I don’t see that here,” Sacks told the Telegram.

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