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NTSB Faults Pilot For Deadly Helicopter Crash In Maryland

In its final report released earlier this month, the National Transportation Safety Board stated pilot error was probably the cause of the helicopter crash on South Mountain on July 23, 2009. 

Four people were killed when the helicopter went down on the flight from Hagerstown to Frederick.  The NTSB says the pilot used poor judgment when he chose to make the flight on the dark night in adverse weather conditions even after talking with a fellow employee at Advanced Helicopter Concepts.   

The report states the helicopter took off after the Hagerstown air traffic control tower closed and entered an area of reduced visibility near the top of South Mountain.  It is thought it turned around and was headed back west when it hit power lines and crashed and burst into flames. 

This helicopter crash is a perfect example of how on board recording devices would help investigators know exactly what was decided in the cockpit.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed In Maryland Medical Helicopter Crash

The husband of a medical technician killed when a Maryland State Police helicopter crashed in September 2008 has filed a $7 million wrongful death lawsuit against the federal government. 

In March, relatives of the paramedic on board filed a $15 million lawsuit.  A personal injury claim for $50 million was filed by the  lone survivor of the crash only to have the FAA deny the claim. 

The helicopter was en route from a traffic accident to a hospital when it was diverted to Andrews Air Force Base because of bad weather.  The pilot had trouble with the foggy weather as he was trying to land and radioed for help twice before crashing 3 miles from the base.  His calls for help were never answered by the air traffic controllers.

The lawsuit claims “negligence” on the part of the Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers. 

Four of the five on board were killed including one of the traffic accident victims. 

 Helicopter Wrongful Death

EagleMed Helicopter Crash Kills Two – Helicopter Has History of Crashes

Two people are dead and another in critical condition following an EagleMed 1998 Eurocopter AS-350 helicopter crash in Oklahoma on Thursday.  A witness says the chopper went into a tail spin before clipping the top trees, hitting the ground and bursting into flames.  The pilot and the nurse were killed in the crash – the paramedic was the only survivor. 

NTSB documents show other AS-350 have gone down 58 times in the last five years.  Earlier this year an AS-350 crashed in Tennessee killing the pilot and two nurses.  Although pilot error was found to be the cause of some of the crashes, there is evidence that mechanical error was the cause of other crashes.  EagleMed’s history is much better than the AS-350, with only two accidents in its 30-year history. 

The NTSB works closely with the FAA to determine if there are safety issues that need to be addressed with certain aircrafts or in the industry.  

The preliminary report from the NTSB is expected to be released next week.

Medical Helicopter Crash

Medical Transport Plane Crashes into Lake Michigan

According to CBS News, a Cessna 206 medical transport plane carrying a cancer patient to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota crashed into Lake Michigan.  The plane left Alma – about 150 miles NW of Detroit – and went down off the shore of Ludington on Michigan’s west coast.  Shortly before the crash, the pilot reported a loss of power to the Minneapolis Control Center and was hopeful of a safe return to Ludington.

Carol Freed and her husband, Jerry, owned the plane and often flew people to Mayo on a volunteer basis.  Jerry was rescued about 2 hours after the crash but after 27 hours of continuous searching, the search for the missing four has been called off.

Medical Plane Crashes

Medical Helicopter Career: One Of The Deadliest

If you are one the angles of mercy who have chosen either to fly or to work on a medical helicopter, you have chosen one of the deadliest occupations in the United States. In every 100,000 workers killed in the line of duty, more medical helicopter personnel are killed than police officers, miners, loggers, and commercial fisherman.

While many lives have been saved by medical helicopter transport, too many have been lost. The deadliest year for medical helicopter crashes was 2008, when twenty-nine people lost their lives. So far in 2010, six people have died in two medical helicopter crashes. Studies have shown 70 – 80% of the crashes are the result of human error.

Pressure is mounting for medical helicopter transport to be made safer. The NTSB has made several recommendations on equipment that would improve navigation through rough terrain and bad weather.

Medical Helicopter Career

NTSB Releases Preliminary Report On Medical Helicopter Crash

The pilot of a Eurocopter AS-350-B3 operated by Memphis Medical Center Air Ambulance Service (dba Hospital Wing) was “trying to beat the storm” when the helicopter crashed outside Brownsville, Texas on March 25, according to the NTSB.

The helicopter was returning to the Haywood County EMS Heliport in Brownsville after transporting a patient in Tennessee when it crashed, killing the pilot and two flight nurses.

According to a shift pilot at the home base heliport, he and the Hospital Wing pilot had discussed a front coming from Memphis towards Brownsville and the helicopter pilot stated he had about 18 minutes to get the chopper back to base to “beat the storm.”

In the last communication between the shift pilot and one of the flight nurses, she told him they were “30 seconds out.”The wind had then picked up to 20 knots and after he hung up the phone, there was an “immediate” loud clap of thunder and lightning – he looked out, but saw no helicopter.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, no matter what type of helicopter, what type of accident, where it occurred, and where or who the defendants are. Experience means knowing the equipment, how it works, how it fails, how it is operated, how all of this will be defended, and how to succeed—and how to win. Contact us today at 919-861-0500 or contact us online.

Medical Helicopter Crash Kills 3

Shortly after 6 a.m. this morning, a medical helicopter crashed in western Tennessee after dropping off a patient in Jackson. No other patients were on board.

The Eurocopter AS350, which crashed about 30 miles west of Jackson, was returning to Brownsville, Tennessee and is thought to have been operating under visual flight rules. The pilots were not in contact with air traffic controllers.

This is the first disaster for Hospital Wing, the company which operated the aircraft and identifies itself as the Memphis Medical Center’s air ambulance service.

Thunderstorms in the area had passed through before the crash.The NTSB and the FAA are investigating the helicopter crash.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, no matter what type of helicopter, what type of accident, where it occurred, and where or who the defendants are. Experience means knowing the equipment, how it works, how it fails, how it is operated, how all of this will be defended, and how to succeed—and how to win. Contact us today at 919-861-0500 or online for a free evaluation of your case.

Tennessee Medical Helicopter Crash

Widows Call For Pro-Active Helicopter Safety

Three widows whose husbands were killed in a helicopter crash March 12, 2009 are asking for a more pro-active approach of helicopter safety, not a reactive one. The offshore workers, who died when the Cougar helicopter crashed, did not have to lose their lives that morning – the crash was preventable say their widows.

On January 20, 2009, Sikorsky issued an alert service bulletin advising specific titanium mounting studs be replaced with steel studs. Failure to do so could result in oil leaking out of the gear box. Minutes before the crash, the pilot of Cougar Flight 491 reported an oil-pressure problem. Cougar Helicopters flies offshore workers to and from the oilfields off Newfoundland.

The company has testified the alert bulletin was reviewed and the ordered parts began to arrive on March 13 – the day after the crash.

The three widows testified at an inquiry into the crash and stated they feel the company should have waited until after the bolts were replaced before flying the helicopters, especially after a helicopter was forced to land in July of 2008 due to the same problem.

There was only one survivor in the March helicopter crash. Taking the time to fix this inexpensive part or thoroughly checking the bolts – where there was a known problem – before leaving for the offshore sight could have saved the lives of these men.

Crouse Law Offices has the necessary experience and knowledge to handle your helicopter case, regardless of the type of aircraft or where the accident occurred. Experience means knowing the equipment, how to succeed – and how to win. Please call us at 919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

Offshore Helicopter Crash