Ambulance Hits Medevac Chopper

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How close do you park or drive near a helicopter?


Ambulance hits medevac chopper at deadly N.J. crash scene

By JASON NARK
Philadelphia Daily News

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/loc...devac_chopper_at_deadly_N_J__crash_scene.html

An ambulance rammed a helicopter while responding to a South Jersey car accident that killed four people Thursday night, police said.
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Meanwhile, an ambulance from nearby Franklin Township, Gloucester County, was approaching the accident scene.
Castellanos said the roof of the ambulance struck the rear rotor of the helicopter, which was still running.
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I saw that yesterday. I can't understand how the plane still took off, but I'm glad it didn't cause a crash.
 
Okay, maybe it just me.. but really how hard is it to see a helicopter? Geez..We all make mistakes but where did these people get their EVO license through a correspondence courses?

C'mon everyone knows (or at least should know) LZ precautions!!. IF you don't; then you don't need to be on the scene!

R/r 911
 
Wow, common sense really isn't that common after all. The first failure is on the part of the driver who definitely should have seen the chopper, I mean the tail does have a flashing beacon light and at least on my local chopper that's where the red and green lights are located. The next failure is on whoever secured the LZ, your job isn't just to find a spot and call coordinates it's to ensure that the landing zone is safe and clear of all hazards and remains that way until the chopper is gone.

I feel that all involved should be forced to wear a dunce cap until Darwin gets back to work.
 
Ridryder911 said:
Okay, maybe it just me.. but really how hard is it to see a helicopter?

R/r 911
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Well, apparently really hard for that person driving the ambulance, lol.
 
Oops.

I guess SouthStar may try to get out of the scene flight business?
 
Moron EMT aside, I think the even bigger idiot is the pilot. You DO NOT depart a scene with an impacted tail rotor until the FAA or NTSB clears that unit to fly. If the rotor was moving, even at idle speed, the RPM are significant enough to damage the tail rotor. As it is the single device that prevents you from spinning out of control (i.e. counter-torque), you would think that a resonably intelligent person would defer any attempts to fly until a pro inspected it. But then again, we are talking about N.J. EMS! I guess the State's reputation on the ground rises to the air.

Plus I seriously doubt the pilot fixed anything, thats why God invented mechanics! Please tell me while the pilot was jeopardizing his life and a multi-million dollar machine, the crew was smart enough to not ride with him?!?!?
 
Incredibly stupid on several peoples part. One of the first rules of helicopters is to never go near the tail. No reason for this incident at all except stupidity.
 
Yeah this kind of stuff doesn't make much since. Wonder if the EMT still has a job? Maybe these landings need to have stiff military type training.
 
Ok students, todays lesson is how not to hit a helicopter.

Ok, so this is a helicopter.

shark-helicopter.jpg


See the things on the top and to the right?

No, not the shark...


Yes, those things.
roflcopter.gif


You see, they spin. Fast. You don't want to get near them, just ask the late Doctor Romano:
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avN23MoCriM[/YOUTUBE].

Ok, scene size up time. Let's look at a size comparison.
442794058_720642f785.jpg


Ok, the foreground has an ambulance. Someday you'll be in one of those. That thing in the background is a helicopter. Yea, they're pretty friggin big. Someday, when you grow up and if you eat your weaties, you may end up driving that thing in the foreground. Seeing as you're sitting here listening to a lecture on the finer points of not hitting large objects with rotating blades, hopefully you'll never end up driving that big thing in the background.

Now, in order to make sure that a blind poodle can see it, they stick these things called lights on them. Yes, they are very similar to the lights on the ambulance. You are not a moth, and that is not a flame. The object is to avoid the thing the lights are attached to.

Next weeks lesson, 1001 ways to not drop a patient.
 
Maybe one of you flight types can confirm this - I was under the impression that any strike of one of the rotors required a full engine/transmission teardown and rebuild - not just replacement of "a couple of blades." I'd presume the news got that minor detail wrong, as I can't imagine a service skirting by under the FAA's nose like that unnoticed.
 
JPINFV thank you for the awesome lesson and a good laugh!:) Can't wait until 1001 ways to not drop a patient. :P
 
Along the lines of what EMTCop is saying, will/would the NTSB get involved? With the incredible number of fatal and nearly-fatal medical helicopter crashes recently, I hope there are some analysis being done higher up as to the rish factors ad what can be done to prevent more accidents. Who is responsible for investigating this? Is it the FAA? NTSB? DOT? DOH? Trade orginizations? Manufacturers? ATC?
 
emt-student said:
Along the lines of what EMTCop is saying, will/would the NTSB get involved? With the incredible number of fatal and nearly-fatal medical helicopter crashes recently, I hope there are some analysis being done higher up as to the rish factors ad what can be done to prevent more accidents. Who is responsible for investigating this? Is it the FAA? NTSB? DOT? DOH? Trade orginizations? Manufacturers? ATC?
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There has been plenty of analysis and the needed information has been disseminated. Unfortunately, there is the age old saying..................YOU CAN'T CURE STUPIDITY. There was a complete lack of situational awareness on the part of the ambulance driver. His fault, plain and simple, no further investigation required..........................

The FAA and the NTSB are responsible for this incident..............

http://www.faa.gov/data_statistics/accident_incident/preliminary_data/media/K_0912_N.txt

*********************************************************************
Report created 9/16/2008 Record 3
*********************************************************************

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: INJ Make/Model: SK76 Description: SIKORSKY S-76B
Date: 09/12/2008 Time: 0100

Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Minor

LOCATION
City: WEST TRENTON State: NJ Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N1NJ, A SIKORSKY S-76B ROTORCRAFT, WHILE ON A MEDIVAC MISSION, LANDED ON
HIGHWAY 55 AND HAD ENGINES SHUT DOWN, WAS STRUCK BY AN AMBULANCE, NO
INJURIES REPORTED, DAMAGE TO HELICOPTER WAS MINOR, ELK TOWNSHIP, NJ

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Standing Operation: OTHER


FAA FSDO: PHILADELPHIA, PA (EA17) Entry date: 09/12/2008
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for digging that up, LP. I did not mean in any way to incinuate that the stupidity of the ambulance driver was linked to the recent accidents. Obviously this was as isolated stupidity.
 
Sounds like there was a whole lot of stupid going on with this scene.
 
Ridryder911 said:
Okay, maybe it just me.. but really how hard is it to see a helicopter? Geez..We all make mistakes but where did these people get their EVO license through a correspondence courses?

C'mon everyone knows (or at least should know) LZ precautions!!. IF you don't; then you don't need to be on the scene!

R/r 911
Click to expand...

Maryland offers an online EVOC course. :D
 
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