Pilot error blamed in fatal helicopter crash

[flhtci01]

Pilot error blamed in fatal helicopter crash
4 died in 2008 when medical flight stuck radio tower in Aurora

The National Transportation Safety Board attributed the fatal 2008 crash of an Air Angels medical helicopter in Aurora to the pilot's "inadequate preflight planning" and flying too low, which caused the copter to strike a radio tower.

"During preflight planning, the pilot should have identified the obstacles along the route of flight, including the radio station tower," the report said.

The board's March 11 final report on the crash said the DuPage Airport air traffic controller contributed to the accident by failing to issue a safety alert, which is required by Federal Aviation Administration rules. This was a contributing factor but not the main cause of the accident, according to the report.

Bolingbrook-based Air Angels went out of business in February 2009 after being sued by the dead girl's parents.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-0317-ntsb-air-angles-20100316,0,6961678.story

 

[usafmedic45]

That's generally the most common cause of mid-air collisions with radio antennae. It's a shame but this is a perfect example of how the high workload associated with flying a helicopter at night, through crowded airspace can lead to simple mistakes that get people killed. I still maintain that there is no justifiable reason for single pilot IFR or night VFR helicopter operations, especially in high risk operations such as HEMS.

BTW, for the sake of disclosure, Del Waugh (the pilot in this case) was a friend of mine. One of four I lost in less than 12 months as a result of HEMS crashes.