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HAA Mishap in Ohio

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Well then I guess we can make a new thread about it in the Commercial Aviation section rather than more sequiturs.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Anyone know the pilot? A female rescue swimmer is a small pool of people. I'm guessing she was HS given her enlistment timeframe.
 

exNavyOffRec

Well-Known Member
Anyone know the pilot? A female rescue swimmer is a small pool of people. I'm guessing she was HS given her enlistment timeframe.

She was a student of a friend who taught at rescue swimmer school, from what he said he just seems kind of stunned this happened.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Anyone know the pilot? A female rescue swimmer is a small pool of people. I'm guessing she was HS given her enlistment timeframe.
At least one of my friends knew her. Small world.
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
I saw an interview of her last year chronicling her career as representative of the flight school she attended (HAI?) - quite a path. Comm Helo/Inst Helo, Private ASEL and CFI/CFII Helo.

Not attempting to conjecture - inter-hospital transfers are routine but don't usually get shopped if one program turns it down. There are two metropolitan programs in the area of this mishap and they operate SPIFR and looks like one or both these programs turned the flight down. And a VFR 407 ends up accepting it... hmmmm
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Not attempting to conjecture - inter-hospital transfers are routine but don't usually get shopped if one program turns it down. There are two metropolitan programs in the area of this mishap and they operate SPIFR and looks like one or both these programs turned the flight down. And a VFR 407 ends up accepting it... hmmmm

It's actually very normal. When the nearest program turns down the call, that program's Ops will either call the next base or the next nearest program Ops and solicit the call. They're required to inform of any declines and the reason why (maintenance, on a call already, weather, etc).

Not everyone at a SPIFR base is IFR. I wasn't until this week. Also, different companies might have different weather mins (135.609 vs more restrictive GOM mins).
 

a_dub

"flank" speed
I went through SAR school, A school, and HS10 with the pilot, been fairly close since. Flying was her passion, sad sad event.
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
From initial NTSB public report:

"On January 29, 2019, at 0650 Eastern standard time, a single-engine, turbine-powered, Bell 407 helicopter, N191SF, collided with forested, rising terrain about 4 miles northeast of Zaleski, Ohio. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Viking Aviation, LLC, doing business as Survival Flight, Inc., as a visual flight rules helicopter air ambulance flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 when the accident occurred. The certificated commercial pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic were fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions existed at the departure location, and company flight following procedures were in effect. The flight departed Mt. Carmel Hospital, Grove City, Ohio at 0628, destined for Holzer Meigs Hospital, Pomeroy, Ohio, about 69 miles southeast.

According to the Survival Flight Operations Control Specialist (OCS) on duty at the time of the accident, the night shift pilot had originally accepted the flight. The OCS said that, while he was on the phone with that pilot reviewing flight details about 0612, he was told that, due to the upcoming shift change, the day pilot would be taking the flight.

The OCS said that, while watching the helicopter on flight tracking software in the Operations Control Center, he observed that, about 15 minutes after departure, the helicopter made a turn to the right, then "a sharp left turn," which was immediately followed by a "no-tracking alarm." The emergency action plan was then initiated.

The helicopter wreckage was located on a tree-covered hill and exhibited significant fragmentation. The wreckage and debris path extended about 600 ft downslope on a heading of about 345° magnetic. A portion of the front-left skid tube was found at the start of the wreckage path, followed by the main rotor hub and blades, tail boom and tail rotor, cockpit and cabin, and the engine and transmission deck. Tree branches broken about 30 ft above ground level were observed near the front-left skid tube. Additionally, one main rotor blade had separated from the main rotor hub and was embedded in a tree. The elevation of the wreckage area ranged from 850 to 980 ft above mean sea level (msl). There was no evidence of a postcrash fire, but a strong smell of fuel was reported by first responders when the wreckage was first discovered.

The helicopter was equipped with an Outerlink Global Solutions IRIS flight data monitoring system, which provides real-time flight tracking data. The flight tracking information is relayed via satellites to an internet-based storage location in 10-second intervals. According to the IRIS data, the helicopter's last known location was about 4 miles northeast of Zaleski at an altitude of 1,528 ft msl, traveling at 132 knots across the ground, on a course of 072°. In addition to the transmission of data at 10-second intervals, the IRIS stores flight data in 1-second intervals, along with voice and satellite communications. The equipment was removed and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for voice and data extraction."
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
Had a chance to talk to some of the pilots from my old program here in Cincinnati while getting fuel at the FBO today and they relayed to me that the mishap program and pilot had a rep for “aggressive dispatch”....
 

ChuckMK23

FERS and TSP contributor!
pilot
So the very same program yesterday launched after 2 nearby IFR programs turned down flight - inter hospital transport. Luckily the PIC aborted midway prior to patient pickup. I mean crazy shit.
 
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