 | 10/3/06 | CAREFORCE | Omniflight | Clear, not a factor | BH230 | Pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic, patient/no injuries | |
| | | Description | |
| | | Crew departing from community hospital with patient. Within moments of liftoff, medical crew smelled electrical burning in cabin and notified pilot. Pilot executed immediate return to helipad. Aircraft landed safely and crew/patient exited normally. Patient mission completed by another service. Cause identified as failed medical air compressor motor. Component removed and aircraft returned to service same afternoon (new component subsequently installed). Part 135 Clear, not a factor S-76B Pilot, flight nurse, flight physician/no injuries | |
| 10/31/06 | Aero Med Spectrum Health (Grand Rapids, MI) | Part 135 | Clear, not a factor | S-76B | Pilot, flight nurse, flight physician/no injuries | |
| | | Description | |
| | | While touching down at a remote landing area, the medical crew noticed a small sapling to the left rear of the aircraft that might have come into contact with the aircraft if the landing was completed. The PIC departed and had the ground crew clear the LZ. After landing, the PIC inspected the rotor blades and found no indication of a strike. As a precaution the PIC had maintenance do a more thorough inspection after the aircraft returned to the hangar. This inspection revealed some minor distortions in the lower surface of the main rotor blades. After a thorough inspection and contact with the manufacturer, it was determined that the blades were serviceable. | |
| 11/2/06 | ALERT (Kalispell, MT) | | Snowing, not a factor | Bell 407 | Pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic/no injuries | |
| | | Description | |
| | | Shortly after takeoff an engine chip light illuminated. The pilot immediately initiated a return to the hospital helipad. On final landing, the engine experienced a total, noncontained failure. An autorotation ended just short of the helipad, causing extensive damage to the aircraft. | |
| 11/2/06 | Children's Mercy Critical Care Transport (Kansas City, MO) | | Clear, not a factor | 1999 Ford E 450 | EMT, RRT, RN/no injuries | |
| | | Description | |
| | | Team was en route to St. Joseph, MO, for a pediatric patient when all power was lost to the ambulance and the front and rear cab filled with smoke. The ambulance was maneuvered to the side of the road, and the team was evacuated without incident. The scene was secured and Missouri Highway Patrol was dispatched to assist. No patient was on board at the time of the incident. The ambulance was operating in non-emergency mode. Another critical care specialty ambulance was dispatched to complete the transport. All crew and communication specialists involved were debriefed after the incident, which is under investigation. | |
| 11/16/06 | AIRLIFE Denver (Englewood, CO) | International Jet Aviation | Clear, not a factor | LearJet 25 | 2 pilots, 2 neonatal nurse practitioners, 1 flight respiratory therapist/no injuries | |
| | | Description: | |
| | | While en route to pick up a neonatal patient, when retarding the throttles during descent to the airport in Rapid City, SD, the # 1 engine flamed out. The engine was restarted according to procedure but flamed out again when throttles were brought to idle for the landing. The nurse crew continued on to the hospital to care for the patient and a second jet was dispatched to complete the mission. The original aircraft was inspected, repaired, and flown back to base airport within 3 hours. | |
| 11/21/06 | REACH Air Medical Services (Santa Rosa, CA) | | Clear, not a factor | A109C | No injuries | |
| | | Description: | |
| | | During a routine pilot training flight near Sonoma County Airport, while climbing out at 2000 feet, both pilots noticed an instrument panel caution light indicating low oil pressure on the number two engine. The respective engine oil pressure gauge was cross checked for secondary indications, and it was confirmed that oil pressure was below the minimum level for continued operation. The pilots also noted a tertiary indication of fluctuating torque on the number two engine. After confirming the required emergency procedure, the number two engine was shut down. The helicopter was flown back a short distance to Sonoma County Airport and landed uneventfully. Postflight maintenance inspection revealed leaking oil from the numbers 6 & 7 bearing location, and the engine was removed from service. Further investigation of the actual cause of the seal failure is under investigation at a contracted engine service center. | |
| 11/26/06 | Air Evac EMS (West Plains, MO) | Part 135 | Clear, not a factor | Bell 206L | Pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic/no injuries | |
| | | Description: | |
| | | While returning to base, the pilot heard a load noise coming from the engine and experienced indications of significant engine problems, followed by power loss. The pilot executed an autorotation, bringing the aircraft safely to the ground with no injury to the crew. | |
| 12/4/06 | VCU Life Evac (Petersburg, VA) | Life Net | Clear, not a factor | EC135 | Pilot, flight nurse, flight paramedic, patient/no injuries | |
| | | Description: | |
| | | While en route to VCU at 1100' AGL and 130 knts, Life Evac 1 collided with unseen bird or birds. A large hole was noted in the chin bubble beneath the pilot's feet. The pilot made a precautionary landing at base. Transport was completed by MedFlight One. Aircraft fixed landing light, scene lights, position lights, and anti-collision lights were on. Upon landing damage was also noted to left engine intake. | |
| 12/10/06 | Mercy Air (Rialto, CA) | LifeNet Inc. | | Bell 412 | Pilot Paul Latour, flight nurse Katrina Kish, flight paramedic Jerry Miller/fatal injuries | |
| | | Description: | |
| | | The Bell 412 was returning to base after dropping off a patient at Loma Linda University Medical Center. The aircraft was equipped with satellite tracking and disappeared in the upper portion of the Cajon Pass approximately 10 minutes after takeoff. | |
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