COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A Columbus Police pilot died suddenly Monday, NewsChannel5 partner ONN reported.

Officer Paul "Stan" Kaiser was doing his preflight check and was sitting inside of the helicopter about to take off when he suffered an attack.

It happened around 2 a.m. Kaiser and his partner were preparing for their two-hour flight around Columbus when he started having problems. His partner ran for help and even though there is a fire station with medics right next door, their efforts couldn't save him.

Kaiser was transported to The Ohio State University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

The 59-year-old has been with the department since 1973, spending most of his time with the department flying helicopters.

His death is taking a toll on his fellow co-workers, they said.

"Three officers performed CPR on him. We are making sure his family's needs are taken care of," said Sgt. Mike Woods of the Columbus Police Department.

Kaiser has been a pilot since he was 17 years old. His family members said they know of no medical condition which would have promoted the heart attack. Three weeks ago Kaiser had his yearly medical checkup required by the Federal Aviation Administration, and it gave no indication of any sort of medical problems.