Concern Network

June 16, 2009 

AirLink Critical Care Transport's (Bend, OR) EC145 helicopter was en route to St. Charles Medical Center Bend with a patient on board when the #1 engine oil chip caution light illuminated. The helicopter emergency procedure (EP) was followed, resulting in a successful “fuzz burn” elimination of the cause of the caution, and the flight continued. Approximately 2 minutes later, the #1 engine oil chip caution illuminated again and would not extinguish with the EP-guided second “fuzz burn.” The pilot shut down the #1 engine in accordance with the EP and conducted an uneventful single-engine landing on a primary runway at nearby Redmond Airport. The weather was clear and not a factor.

An emergency was not declared; however, the tower dispatched field rescue vehicles to attend the helicopter landing. A local emergency medical services (EMS) ground service met the helicopter with an ambulance and safely completed the transport of patient and medical attendants.

The aircraft was placed out of service while maintenance engineers performed inspection of the #1 engine. Minor metal contamination was found on one of the magnetic plugs. This and oil samples have been sent to a laboratory for analysis. The aircraft was returned to service after maintenance procedures, as recommended by the engine manufacturer. Metro Aviation is the vendor.

June 17, 2009 

The Air Evac EMS, Inc, crew based in Parkersburg, West Virginia, was lifting from a scene off Highway 50, approximately 30 miles east of Parkersburg, and experienced a wire strike with the main rotor blade. The Bell 206 L-4 pilot immediately executed a precautionary landing without incident on the highway. The patient was transported, with the air medical team, by ground ambulance to the hospital. This is an night vision goggles (NVG) operational base; however, NVGs were not used because of lighting conditions at dusk. The pilot indicated he was notified by the fire department that wires were marked by vehicles west of the landing zone. Because of the setting sun in the west, neither the pilot nor the crew was able to visualize the wires, and there was a misunderstanding as to which emergency vehicles were marking the wires. The weather was clear and not a factor; Air Evac is its own vendor.

June 25, 2009 

During liftoff to PR flight, a Benefis Mercy Flight (Great Falls, MT) crew experienced a sudden loss of engine power at approximately 3 feet above ground level. At that time rotor revolutions per minute decreased, and the AS 350 B2 was brought to the ground without injuries or damage. The crew departed the aircraft, and a post-accident incident plan was initiated by our dispatch center. The pilot in command was unable to reproduce the anomaly immediately afterward, and the aircraft was taken out of service and grounded at the hospital helipad. The weather was clear and not a factor.

The engine at the time of the incident was a loaner engine installed on June 24, 2009. The primary engine had been pulled for a routine inspection. After the aircraft was placed back into service, it flew two successful trips before the anomaly surfaced. After additional testing, the anomaly was reproduced. The metered bleed air line was installed incorrectly before its shipment to our location. The line had been checked during installation and appeared to be installed correctly, but because of the way it was installed, the problem was not able to be duplicated every time. The fuel control unit, start drain valve, and the overspeed drain valve were replaced with overhauled units as an additional precaution. The aircraft was placed back into service on June 27 after extensive testing. Metro Aviation is the vendor.

June 28, 2009 

While an Alaska Regional Hospital LifeFlight (Anchorage, AK) crew was in cruise flight at 23,000 feet en route to Anchorage Merrill Field, the right wing locker departed the aircraft. The King Air B200 was diverted to Ten Stephens International Airport, where it landed safely and was immediately removed from service. A replacement aircraft was provided by Guardian Flight, the vendor. The weather was clear and not a factor.

The National Traffic Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the manufacturer of the wing locker, Raisbeck Engineering, were all involved with the investigation. Raisbeck's final conclusion: after reviewing the photos, on-site aircraft, maintenance logs, and interviews with the pilots and mechanic, it has been determined that we do not have a definitive reason why the right wing locker departed from the aircraft. There could only be speculations as to why and the sequence of events that led up to this incidence. Raisbeck has installed over 2,500 individual wing lockers without any incidents and has never had an AD or mandatory service bulletin. This is an isolated incident.

July 2, 2009 

During approach to landing at the referring hospital heliport, a Carolina Life Care (Conway, SC) aircraft's tail rotor struck a vehicle barrier, a 6-inch-diameter, 3-foot pipe filled with concrete. The AS350B2 was landed safely on the helipad and removed from service and FAA was notified. The FAA conducted their investigation on July 3 and released the aircraft for recovery and repairs.

The helipad has had two of the barriers in place for several years. As a result of this incident, the hospital administration will have the barriers removed.

The weather was clear and not a factor; Omniflight Helicopters is the vendor.

July 14, 2009 

UW Med Flight (Madison, WI) was called to a scene. On final approach into the scene of a motor vehicle crash, a tarp covering a boat approximately 100 feet from the landing zone was torn away and pulled up through the EC-135's main rotor system. The aircraft was landed safely without incident. The flight crew treated the patient and assisted with the transport to the local hospital with the local ground ambulance. A second Med Flight aircraft was sent to the hospital and the patient was flown to the UW Hospital Level 1 trauma center.

The aircraft was inspected, and no damage was found. The aircraft was placed back into service and returned to the hospital base. The motor vehicle crash scene was next to a boat marina and was determined to be a safe landing zone. The marina owner reported that he had secured the tarps on all of the boats in the area the day before. It appeared as though the tarp that broke loose was older; one of the tie-down areas tore, and then the rest of the tie-downs came off, and the tarp became free floating. The weather was clear and not a factor; Air Methods is the vendor.

July 16, 2009 

A LifeFlight Toledo (Toledo, OH) aircraft lifted to a hover for departure, and the pilot noticed the illumination of the transmission oil pressure light, then saw the pressure dropping. The A-109E landed without further incident. Postflight inspection revealed a large pool of transmission oil on the helipad. The O ring on the transmission oil filter failed. The transmission was recently installed, and the oil filter installation was done at the factory during servicing. The weather was clear and not a factor; West Michigan Air Care is the vendor.

July 21, 2009 

An A109E for LifeFlight Toledo (Toledo, OH) was on the ground taxiing to refuel. When the pilot applied the right toe brake, the bell crank assembly at the top of the anti-torque pedal became dislocated and cracked the chin bubble in three places. A normal shutdown was accomplished without further damage. The weather was clear and not a factor.

A circlip that held the bell crank assembly on a pivot rod became dislodged, allowing the bell crank to reposition and contact the chin bubble. The other A109Es in the program are being inspected to ensure that there is not a repeat occurrence. West Michigan Air Care is the vendor.

July 29, 2009 

While en route to the referring hospital, the pilot flying for Life Star of Kansas (Topeka, KS) noted the illumination of the engine oil warning light. He announced he was aborting the flight and intended to fly to a base airport. He then noted a decrease in engine oil pressure and made a powered, precautionary landing in a field by a farmhouse. No one was injured, and there was no damage to the AS 350 B2. Another Life Star aircraft was dispatched to the scene to complete the patient transport.

On inspection, the pilot noted a significant amount of oil loss from the engine. A mechanic reported to the scene and concluded the oil leak was internal to the engine. A replacement engine was installed. The aircraft should be returned into service within 24 hours. The weather was clear and not a factor; Life Star is its own vendor.