Accidents
Cluster of aeromed accidents focus concerns on EMS safety
Three aeromedical helicopter accidents claimed three lives in just 12 days in August and September, representing a cluster of successively serious mishaps

Three aeromedical helicopter accidents claimed three lives in just 12 days in August and September, representing a cluster of successively serious mishaps in what otherwise had been a fairly uneventful year in terms of EMS safety.

In the first accident, an MBB BK 117A4 operated by Rocky Mountain Helicopter experienced an engine fire on August 26 while transporting a patient near Bradentown, Fla. Flying at a cruise altitude of 1,000 ft, speed of 130 kt and a reported 60-percent engine torque, the pilot reported a loud bang from the right side of the helo. The number-two fire warning light went on and the helicopter began to yaw. The pilot managed to make a successful autorotation onto a nearby freeway. Neither the pilot nor three crewmembers were injured.

Loading…