Ambulance Hits Medevac Chopper

[Kathi]

Sometimes it would help to keep eyes wide open.
If people would do this, most accidents won`t happen.

 

[mycrofft]

About that shark chopper photo...

That's a chopper from my final Guard unit, 129th Rescue Wing out of Moffett Field. Most of it is fabricated; the shark (of course), and the position versus the Golden Gate Bridge. They used to (still?) go into the Bay to play and the ladder ingress is actual, but fish and bridge are edited IN.

I was trying to get info for an article to teach laypersons (CERT's primarily, but could apply to non-aircraft involved firefighters or anyone who might be the "feet on ground" when a helo joins the scene) about ops and safety around helos and the response generally was "They don't need to know", period.

As for that news article, writers and then their editors screw aviation stuff up all the time.

 

[BLSBoy]

Since I am in the area of this boondoggle, I have made a few inquiries to said incident.

It was an allegedly volunteer outfit that drove the ambulance into the aircraft. They have a history of monkey and football incidents, per what I have heard.

The aircraft remained on Rt. 55 until a mechanic from the NJSP arrived on scene, inspected the aircraft, and deemed it safe to fly.



My opinion on why this happened, uncontrolled adrenaline. People hear the tones, see the pt is critical, and they can not control the adrenaline rush that comes, if affects their judgement, and stuff like that happens.

To head off the preemptive attacks, it happens to paid and volunteer alike.

 

[Zippo1969]

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.

After reading the article is was pretty unclear as to what actually happened to the crew / aircraft after the incident...No overhaul or engine tear-down is automatically indicated, and the ship's mechanic would have had to come to the scene to approve the heli for a short maintenence flight. It only takes the NTSB about 40 years to investigate these incidents, so any new news on the story by the local press will have to suffice. We'll have to ASSUME there was little, if any, visible damage to the blades. Pilots don't have a death wish, and policy on maint. flights is very strict and specific...

Also keep in mind that when at idle RPM, the tail rotor is pretty much invisible (A-stars, among others I'm sure, now have new lights to illuminate the tail rotor).

Alas, don't worry too much about this - if the economy keeps tanking we'll be seeing less and less of the whirly-birds around anyhow

 

[Zippo1969]

Since I am in the area of this boondoggle, I have made a few inquiries to said incident.

It was an allegedly volunteer outfit that drove the ambulance into the aircraft. They have a history of monkey and football incidents, per what I have heard.

The aircraft remained on Rt. 55 until a mechanic from the NJSP arrived on scene, inspected the aircraft, and deemed it safe to fly.



My opinion on why this happened, uncontrolled adrenaline. People hear the tones, see the pt is critical, and they can not control the adrenaline rush that comes, if affects their judgement, and stuff like that happens.

To head off the preemptive attacks, it happens to paid and volunteer alike.

for some reason your post didn't show until after i replied...thanks for the update btw - do you know if they had to replace the blades? $$$ouch$$$

 

[BLSBoy]

Didn't hear, but there was intrusion to the pt compartment on the bus.

I would imagine they might have been.