Concern network
Article Outline
- July 13, 2007
- July 16, 2007
- August 11, 2007
- August 22, 2007
- September 6, 2007
- September 7, 2007
- September 28, 2007
- September 14, 2007
- September 20, 2007
- September 25, 2007
- September 26, 2007
- October 1, 2007
- October 3, 2007
- October 5, 2007
The Concern Network shares verified information to alert medical transport programs when an accident/incident has occurred. Both air and ground programs are encouraged to participate. If you have questions, contact CONCERN Coordinator David Kearns at (800)-525-3712 or www.concern-network.org.
July 13, 2007
While downwind into Boeing Field in Seattle, the hydraulic pressure gauge reading on Aeromed International's (Anchorage, AK) Lear 35 aircraft was 0. The nose gear light was not lit. A go-around was executed by the two pilots, and the nose gear green light went on. On landing, the normal brakes and air brakes were applied but not operating, so the drag chute was deployed. The aircraft drifted off the runway at approximately a 40-degree angle. Although there was no damage to the runway lights, there was minor cosmetic damage to the aircraft. The patient and escort were transferred by ground ambulance to the receiving facility, accompanied by the flight medical crew (flight nurse and paramedic) as per schedule. The plane was ferried to a maintenance facility in Illinois for inspection and repair. The weather was clear and not a factor. Chipola Aviation is the vendor.
July 16, 2007
A LifeNet Airmedical Service (Frankfort, KY) crew in an EC135 were responding to a scene at a residence. The pilot was directed to a small field within close proximity to scene. Because of uneven terrain, several repositioning movements were needed. After shutdown, a crack was noted in the tail fairing of the aircraft. No patient was on board at the time of the incident. Medical crew (flight nurse and paramedic) went with the patient by ground to the nearest facility. The aircraft was inspected by maintenance in the field and found airworthy. Full inspection has been performed, and the aircraft is airworthy, because the crack to the outer shell is primary damage. The weather was clear and not a factor; Air Methods is the vendor.
August 11, 2007
A Bell 407 aircraft flown by LifeFlight Eagle (Kansas City, MO) was returning to base after completing a patient transfer. While in flight, the aircraft experienced sudden and sustained vibration. The pilot immediately initiated a precautionary landing in an open field, which was accomplished without injury to persons or damage to aircraft or property. The aircraft was secured at the location while maintenance isolated the source of the vibration to the tail rotor. It was discovered that the tail rotor balance weight was missing from inside one of the blades. New blades were installed, and the aircraft was returned to service on August 14. Locating new rotor blades contributed to the delay in returning the aircraft to service. Caution was also taken as the mechanics worked outside in high heat indexes over 100°F. The weather was clear and not a factor; CJ Systems is the vendor.
August 22, 2007
The Midwest LifeTeam (Wichita, KS) team responded to Kiowa County, Kansas, shortly after 12:00 p.m. for a scene request. The aircraft was on final approach to the landing zone when a loud “pop” was heard by crewmembers and bystanders on the ground. A sudden loss in control was felt as the Bell 206 L-4 pilot attempted to avoid responders on the scene and other obstacles. The aircraft experienced a hard landing on its skids and remained upright. Although no one on the ground was injured, all three crewmembers were transported to a local trauma center. The original scene patient was transported by another flight service to a local trauma center. At the time of this writing, both medical crewmembers were released from the hospital, and the pilot remained hospitalized in good condition. Aircraft was recovered after Federal Aviation Administration release and is awaiting National Transportation Safety Board investigation. The weather was clear, with winds from the south 25 kn gusting to 38 kn. The program is its own vendor.
September 6, 2007
During the return leg of an interfacility transport at 1,500 feet above ground level and 20 nautical miles from Billings, the St Vincent HELP Flight (Billings, MT) pilot/crew heard a loud bang and felt something impact the aircraft. Suspecting a bird strike, the EC 135 P1 pilot made a precautionary landing at the Billings airport. The patient and crew (flight nurse and paramedic) were transported by ground ambulance to SVH. On postflight inspection, an obvious bird strike (unknown species) had impacted the nose of the aircraft just above the forward landing light. The mechanic inspected the aircraft and found no other apparent damage. The aircraft was taken out of service until the landing light panel was replaced. The weather was clear and not a factor; Metro Aviation is the vendor.
September 7, 2007
MedFlight of Ohio (Columbus, OH) received a request for a scene response close to the base. The AS350 B-2 pilot approved the flight and received the release number from the Operational Control Center at Omniflight. Crew responded to the aircraft, where they noted that the mechanic had placed the blade tie downs on the aircraft because of increasing winds coming up throughout the afternoon. The pilot proceeded to remove the blade covers and handed them to the paramedic, who took them inside the base. The pilot proceeded to start the aircraft and noted that he had not removed the tail rotor block. He immediately shut down the aircraft and aborted the response and placed the aircraft out of service pending inspection. A small mark was noted on one of the trim tabs, and the tail rotor blades were subsequently replaced, and the aircraft was placed back in service. The weather was clear and not a factor; Omniflight Helicopters is the vendor.
September 28, 2007
Angel One (Little Rock, AR) was flying an S-76 C+1 helicopter to transport a patient from Baxter Regional Medical Center back to Arkansas Children's Hospital (ACH). While departing the hospital helipad with a patient on board, the aircraft experienced a power fluctuation and an unusual vibration. The crew took immediate action and landed the aircraft at Baxter Regional Airport. No injuries or damage were sustained by the crew (pilot, flight nurse, and flight respiratory therapist) or aircraft. Another helicopter was dispatched to transport the crew and patient back to ACH without further incident.
Further investigation by maintenance staff in conjunction with Sikorsky engineering revealed a problem with the collective position indicator for the number 1 engine. Although the faulty collective position indicator was running sluggishly and caused the low side revolutions per minute problem, it was not giving enough of a Delta factor to cause a computer failure light. The collective position indicator was replaced, engines inspected, and the aircraft returned to service October 1, 2007. The weather was clear and not a factor; the program acts as its own vendor.
September 14, 2007
A BK117C1 flown by Boston Medflight (Bedford, MA) was on a short final to landing at a hospital helipad when a loose plastic construction tarp on a building being demolished was drawn up into the main rotor system and shredded into numerous fragments. The pilot in command completed the landing without incident, and there were no crew (critical care team nurse and paramedic) or bystander injuries. After a thorough mechanical inspection and several run-ups, the aircraft was placed back into service the following afternoon. The hospital helipad remains closed while the hospital administration reviews and resolves any outstanding issues with the landing site. The weather was clear and not a factor; EraMED LLC is the vendor.
September 20, 2007
On the return flight from a local hospital to HALO-Flight's home base (Corpus Christi, TX), a Bell 407 with only the pilot and medical crew on board experienced the illumination of the “transmission oil pressure” warning light. The pilot reacted by alerting the crew of the indication, cross-checking the oil pressure and temperature gauge for secondary indications of a failure, then notifying the airfield tower (class C airspace) of his intentions to execute a precautionary landing in an open field. The approach, landing, and shutdown were completed without further incident.
Once safely on the ground, the pilot contacted the base dispatcher to explain the situation, then the maintenance director to discuss recovery options of the aircraft to base. The decision to fly the aircraft back to base (a 3-minute flight) was based on the fact that the transmission oil pressure and temperature remained in normal ranges throughout the episode. As a precaution, the medical crew was provided with ground transportation back to base; only the pilot was in the aircraft during the maintenance flight back to base. On start-up, the transmission oil pressure light was no longer illuminated, and the transmission oil pressure and temperature were in the normal ranges, so the pilot made an uneventful flight to return the aircraft to base. The weather was clear and not a factor. On return, the maintenance director found a chaffed wire causing the faulty indication; the wire was repaired and tested, and the aircraft was returned to service. This event was handled in accordance with all company, manufacturer, and Federal Aviation Administration guidelines by the pilot and highlighted areas available for improvement.
September 25, 2007
During preflight of an Agusta 109K2, the maintenance personnel for SkyLife (Fresno, CA) found binding of the tail rotor. The aircraft was placed out of service, and during inspection, the delta hinge was noted to have bearing galling. The assembly was replaced, and the aircraft was returned to service. Weather was clear and not a factor.
September 26, 2007
An S-76A aircraft with Cleveland Metro Life Flight (Cleveland, OH) was involved in a near miss with a local news helicopter while on a short final to Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) in Cleveland, Ohio. The news helicopter was cleared to land number 2 behind the Metro helicopter, which was on short final. The news helicopter was on a 90-degree converging track with the Metro helicopter to the runway and came within 200 feet, potentially cutting off the landing aircraft. An evasive maneuver was performed by the Metro pilot at approximately 300 feet above ground level to avoid contact. The event is under investigation. The two pilots, flight physician, and flight nurse specialist were not injured. The weather had a 600-foot ceiling with 2.5 miles hazy/misty; EraMED LLC is the vendor.
October 1, 2007
Mayo One (Mayo Clinic Medical Transport, Rochester, MN) had just departed from Rochester base on a flight request when, at 800 feet above ground level, the pilot and flight resident observed a goose impact the BK 117 C1 between the wiper blades and wire strike fixture. The two flight nurses felt and heard the impact in the medical cabin. The aircraft was performing normally, and no caution/advisory lights illuminated. The team aborted the flight and returned to base for an inspection. The flight request was assigned to the Mayo One Mankato base and completed without event. Postflight inspection revealed a baseball-size hole in the copilot greenhouse window and a damaged and inoperative outside air temperature (OAT) gauge. The aircraft was taken out of service until the window and OAT gauge repair were completed (approximately 24 hours), and a large portion of the deceased goose was removed from the wire strike cutter. The flight team were not injured; they were wearing helmets and had eye protection in place at the time of the impact. No debris entered the cockpit. The weather had a 1,200-foot ceiling with 4-mile visibility; Omniflight Helicopters is the vendor.
October 3, 2007
A 6-foot turkey buzzard made a 2-foot by 1-foot hole in the nose of the AS350 aircraft used by Eaglemed (Wichita, KS). Although feathers did enter the cabin, there were no injuries (all crew were wearing helmets). The weather was clear and not a factor.
October 5, 2007
Eagle Air Med (Chinle, AZ) suffered a terrible loss when pilot Ric Miller, flight nurse Ronnie Helton, and flight paramedic Dana Dedman were killed in a crash. The program had received a patient transport request at 10:00 pm on October 4. The crew departed Chinle at 10:35 pm in a King Air C90B, heading to Alamosa, CO, to pick up a patient. The pilot performed a routine contact with the Communications Center via satellite radio at 10:55 pm and relayed an estimated time of arrival to Alamosa of 11:30 pm. At 11:45 pm, the aircraft had not arrived at its destination, and the Communications Center initiated the post incident accident plan (PIAP) to locate the aircraft. Numerous attempts were made to contact the aircraft. Administrators were then called into the Communications Center according to the PIAP plan. Ramp checks were performed at many airports along the flight path. The director of operations contacted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration, and Search and Rescue. Local and national search and rescue were initiated, and the location of the aircraft was determined based on radar data. Because of fog and wind in the area and the remote location of the accident, the aircraft wreckage was found at 3:47 pm on October 5. The NTSB is currently investigating the accident. A memorial bank account has been established in the name of each of the deceased at Wells Fargo Bank for those wishing to make a financial contribution to the victims' families. Email evaworkman@eagleairmed.com for account details and further information about making a contribution.
PII: S1067-991X(07)00277-5
doi:10.1016/j.amj.2007.10.007
