HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Federal investigators collected the remnants of a medical helicopter Monday after a crash that killed four people near Huntsville, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Three crewmembers and a patient were killed when the PHI Air Medical chopper crashed in a heavily wooded area on a private ranch at about 3 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities said the chopper took off from Huntsville Memorial Hospital and was headed to Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, but never made it.

It went down in heavy brush near the Sam Houston National Forest after being in the air only two minutes.

"The helicopter was broken to pieces. There is no way anyone could have survived it," said Jennifer Kaiser of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Pilot Wayne Kirby, paramedic Stephanie Waters, flight nurse Jana Bishop and patient, David Disman, 58, were killed.

Disman, a former prison guard, was being rushed to the Texas Medical Center in Houston with an aortal embolism.

His wife of 17 years was still at the Huntsville hospital when the family was told about the crash.

"It was just one of those things, you know. I told the kids, 'God had him in his hands and he's got us in his arms,'" said Audrey Disman.

The wreckage scattered over about 600 yards. Investigators with the NTSB located all of it on Monday. It will be shipped to a storage hanger near Dallas for a detailed inspection.

Investigators will try to determine if pilot error, the environment, weather or mechanical problems played a role in the crash.

"At the point, it is entirely too early to tell why we have so much fragmentation. Once we have it in a controlled environment, we'll be able to look at those failure points and determine if they're overloads or due to some sort of mechanical issue," Kaiser said.

A woman who lived near Bishop in Magnolia said she was devastated by the crash.

"I think she just started her life," Lisa Thomas said. "To hear of that, it just breaks my heart. It's hard to understand something like this."

Federal investigators said it would likely be months before they know what caused the chopper to go down.

Disman had no life insurance, so the First Presbyterian Church of Huntsville is setting up a fund to pay funeral expenses through the First National Bank of Huntsville. Anyone who wants to donate should call 936-295-5701.