NC Aviation Law Attorney

Two Dead After Medical Helicopter And Plane Collide

A midair collision between a 1967 single-engine Cessna 172L and a Eurocopter EC135 AirCare 5 medical transport helicopter in Virginia has left two dead.  The accident happened New Year’s Eve about half-mile north of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport in Weyers Cave.

The helicopter is registered to PHI Inc. in Lafayette, La.  The plane was registered to Michael W. Price of Elton, although he was not on the plane at the time of the crash.

The collision between the two aircraft knocked off the plane’s left wing and both occupants were killed when it plummeted to the ground.  The plane was totally destroyed by the impact with the ground.

It is not known what the plane’s destination was or where the flight originated.  The helicopter was returning from the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville and, although damaged, managed to land safely with three crew members on board.

A helicopter instructor who saw the helicopter come in cited the safety features on that aircraft and the training of the pilots for “amazing job” of landing.

The NTSB is investigating the cause of the incident.

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Posted by 2:36 pm

FAA Falls Short of Addressing Need for Cockpit, Data Recorders on All Helicopters, Says Raleigh, NC Aviation Attorney

Crouse Law Offices lawyer James T. Crouse says recorders’ data would prevent future accidents. 

Aviation accident attorney, James T. Crouse this week said the FAA ‘s propsed new rules for helicopter safety operators should have included a mandate for flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders on all helicopters.

“I applaud the FAA for these proposed changes which should help helicopter safety and should save lives,” says Crouse. “Despite the efforts of manufacturers, operators and government agencies, the helicopter accident rate has not seen a major improvement.”

Crouse, founder of Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, is a former military pilot and an aviation accident lawyer with litigation experience involving major air carriers, general aviation, helicopter and military crashes.

Although the technology is readily available, the FAA has not mandated flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders on smaller aircraft, including helicopters, Crouse says.

“If this information were available, we could not only help the families of the victims of these terrible accidents, but we could use the information for prevention of future accidents,” Crouse says.

Stricter flight rules and procedures proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration on October 7 include improved communications and training, and additional on-board safety equipment for helicopters, including air ambulances. But the FAA has no plans to require flight data recorders or cockpit voice recorders on all helicopters or smaller fixed-wing aircraft.

Crouse says that flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders on smaller aircraft would help in post-accident analysis to determine the real causes of helicopter and plane crashes.

“Too often air safety investigators are left with trying to piece the facts together from wreckage scene components and other indirect data which can make the true cause difficult to determine,” Crouse says. “This often leads to blaming the pilot when, in fact, the aircraft and its systems might well have been at fault.”

The FAA’s proposal would require commercial helicopter operators to equip their helicopters with radio altimeters and additional equipment for over-water operations, and to demonstrate competencies pertaining to flying in inclement weather. Air ambulances would be required to have a Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems on board, institute pre-flight risk-analysis programs and require various additional standards for training, certification and flight readiness.

Crouse says he favors more stringent rules than those proposed by the FAA.

“I believe the government should go further and mandate two pilots on all Part 135 helicopter operations, and insist on adequate ground-based flight following and operational management of medical helicopter operations, in addition to requiring flight recording devices on all light aircraft—helicopters and fixed-wing,” he says.

About Crouse Law Offices

Aviation accident lawyer James T. Crouse of Crouse Law Offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, has more than 35 years of aviation law experience. Crouse uses his extensive knowledge along with state-of-the-art forensic technology to investigate and recreate the events involved in aviation accident cases. Crouse Law Offices represents victims and their families in many practice areas, including airplane and helicopter accidents, aviation law, auto accidents, military representation, product liability, transportation law, defective products, consumer dangers, general negligence, personal injury and wrongful death.

Mr. Crouse can be reached at Crouse Law Offices at 919-861-0500 or online at http://www.crouselaw.com/contact.asp.

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Posted by 12:18 pm

Raleigh, N.C. Aviation Attorney Comments On FAA’s Proposal For New Helicopter Safety Rules

Yesterday the Federal Aviation Administration announced it is proposing stricter flight rules for helicopters, including those which are aimed at increasing safety for medical helicopters. 

This comes after a rash of medical helicopter crashes in the last few years. 

James T. Crouse of Crouse Law Offices had the following comments:

“Despite the efforts of manufacturers, operators and government agencies, the helicopter accident rate has not seen a major improvement.  I applaud the FAA for these proposed changes which should help helicopter safety and should save lives.” 

For years, Crouse says, the FAA has not mandated flight data recorders and cockpit voice recorders on smaller aircraft, including helicopters, which would help in post-accident analysis to determine the real cause of the crash.  “If we had this information, we could not only help the families of the victims of these terrible accidents, but we could use the information for prevention of future accidents.” 

Too often, investigators are left with trying to piece the facts together from wreckage scene components and other indirect data which can make the true cause difficult to determine.  “Unfortunately, this often leads to blaming the pilot when, in fact, the aircraft and its systems might well have been at fault,” Crouse says. 

“The government should go further and mandate two pilots on all Part 135 helicopter operations, and insist on adequate ground-based flight following and operational management of medical helicopter operations.  Finally, the FAA should require flight recording devices on all light aircraft—helicopters and fixed-wing.”

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Posted by 3:28 pm

Crouse Law Firm Retained To Investigate Tucson Medical Helicopter Crash

James T. Crouse of Crouse Law Offices, Raleigh, N.C., has been retained to investigate the cause of a medical helicopter crash on July 28, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona, in which all three crew members were killed.  No patients were on board at the time of the crash. 

The Eurocopter AS350, owned by Colorado-based AirMethods and operating as LifeNet Arizona, was based in Douglas, Arizona.  AirMethods transport people requiring intensive medical care to highly skilled centers or tertiary care centers, providing medical care while en route. 

The helicopter, known as LifeNet 12, was en route back to home base after undergoing routine maintenance at Marana Regional Airport.  Although the cause of the crash will not be known for some time, there has been a history of defects in some engines installed in AS350 B3 Eurocopters.  However, the engine manufacturer, Turbomeca, was to have addressed this issue before turning the helicopter over to Air Methods.

 This is not the first incident of trouble for the AS350 B3 in Tucson.  In September another helicopter operated by Air Methods was forced to make a hard landing at St. Mary’s hospital after it swerved to the left just a few feet from the landing pad. In this incident the 3 crew members and the patient were uninjured.

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Posted by 6:36 pm

Preliminary Report Released On Deadly Medical Helicopter Crash

The NTSB’s preliminary report on the medical helicopter crash which killed three people in Arkansas includes a witness statement of hearing an explosion before the aircraft went down.  The witness also reported hearing the sound of crushing metal, then seeing the helicopter turn left – then right before it disappeared. 

As reported earlier on this site, on August 31, an AirEvac Lifeteam helicopter based in Vilonia, Arkansas, crashed killing all three crew members on board.  According to CNN, the helicopter was en route to an accident in Crabtree, Arkansas when it crashed.

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Posted by 1:46 pm

Medical Helicopter Crash In Arkansas – 2nd In As Many Months

An Air Evac Lifeteam Bell 206 helicopter en route to pick up a traffic accident victim crashed about 4:30 this morning in Scotland, Arkansas about 80 miles north of Little Rock killing all three crew members on board.

 The pilot was flying under visual flight rules and the helicopter was equipped with night vision gear.  It is not thought the pilot was in touch with air traffic controllers at the time of the crash and no distress calls were made.

 Investigators from the FAA and the NTSB are on their way to the crash site.

 According to BNO News, the crew was based in Vilonia, Arkansas.  AirEvac, based in West Plains, Mo. is the largest independently owned and operated membership-supported air medical service in the U.S. having operations in 14 states.

Air Evac has had several deadly crashes in the last four years killing 9 crew members, reports the Associated Press.  In 2008, a crash in Indiana killed three people.  In 2007, another three-member crew died when their AirEvac helicopter crashed in Alabama. In 2006, a crash in northwest Arkansas killed the three crew members on that Air Evac helicopter.  Last month, an AirEvac helicopter was force to land after the aircraft’s hydraulics failed – no on was injured in this mishap.

The Med Vac crash last month: On July 28, the pilot, flight nurse, and paramedic were killed when their Air Methods LifeNet medical helicopter AS350 B3 Eurocopter crashed in Tucson, AZ.   Although the cause of the crash is not known, a witness said the helicopter’s rotors stopped working and it started plummeting toward the ground.

The crash is being investigated.

With a strong background in helicopters as a pilot, maintenance officer and maintenance test pilot, and a strong background in litigation all over the world against the largest corporate defendants, Crouse Law Offices has the experience and knowledge to know how to succeed and how to win your case.  Please call us at 1-919-861-0500 or contact us by using our online form.

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Posted by 12:21 pm

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

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Posted by 2:14 pm

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

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Posted by 1:21 pm

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

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Posted by 4:28 pm

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.

Posted by 3:13 pm

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