Saturday, July 4, 2015

PILOT KILLED, 2 OTHERS INJURED IN FLIGHT-FOR-LIFE HELICOPTER FIERY CRASH NEAR ST. ANTHONY SUMMIT MEDICAL CENTER IN FRISCO, COLORADO



Shortly after takeoff, it crashed in a nearby parking lot, colliding with an RV, a pickup truck and a camper, sparking a large fire.

 














JULY 3, 2015

FRISCO, COLORADO

The pilot was killed and two other people injured Friday afternoon when a Flight-for-Life helicopter burst into flames shortly after taking off near St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco.

Air Methods, the Centennial Airport-based company that operated the helicopter, reported the flight paramedic and flight nurse on board the aircraft were injured.

The pilot, 64-year-old Patrick Mahany, was declared dead at the scene at 3:34 p.m.,  the Summit Daily news reported. He had been a pilot for Flight for Life since 1987, and received a bronze star and a purple heart for his service as a pilot in the Vietnam War.

A flight paramedic and flight nurse were taken to Denver “with significant, but I believe, survivable injuries,” Jodie Taylor, trauma medical director with St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, said at a news conference Friday evening.
One was taken to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, and the other was taken to University Hospital. Neither of their names have been released, Summit Daily reported.

“We are deeply saddened that our pilot was fatally injured, and our hearts go out to the pilot’s family,” Taylor said. She added that he had died by the time crews pulled him from the aircraft.

The helicopter was not responding to a medical emergency when it took off, and no patient was on board, said Tineil Ilano, spokeswoman for the Summit County Sheriff’s Office.

Shortly after takeoff, it crashed in a nearby parking lot, colliding with an RV, a pickup truck and a camper, sparking a large fire.

“The FAA and the NTSB have our full cooperation as they further investigate the accident,” Air Methods spokeswoman Christina Brodsly wrote to 7NEWS. “We want to continue to make sure we have all of the facts correct. We will be back in touch with you once we have more information.”
Air Methods has air-medical tranport operations in 48 states.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that the helicopter was an Airbus AS-350.
The fire was extinguished by Lake Dillon Fire, Red and White and Blue Fire and the Copper Mountain Fire Department, authorities said.
Summit County Sheriff’s deputies, Frisco police and Summit County Ambulance health care workers also  responded to the fire.
The last fatal air ambulance crash in Colorado was in October 2007 when a paramedic and a flight nurse aboard were killed when the the Black Hawk helicopter went down west of  Alamosa, The Denver Post reported.



Date:
03-JUL-2015
Time:
14:45
Type:
Owner/operator:
Air Methods Inc
Registration:

C/n / msn:

Fatalities:
Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:
0
Airplane damage:
Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:
Near St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, Frisco, CO - http://aviation-safety.net/database/country/flags_15/N.gif  United States of America
Phase:
Take off
Nature:
Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:
St Anthony Med Cntr
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The Flight for Life aircraft operated by Air Methods Incoporated departed controlled flight and impacted parking lot terrain shortly after takeoff from St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, Frisco, Colorado. The helicopter was consumed by the post-impact fire and the pilot onboard received fatal injuries. Two of the three crew onboard the aircraft were seriously injured.
Sources:



Air Medical
Airbus Helicopters, Inc.’s family of helicopters are the aircraft of choice for air medical service providers across the United States, accounting for three-quarters of all deliveries in this segment over the past decade.
Care Flight Air Medical HelicopterFrom the light single-engine AS350 AStar turbine helicopter to the twin-engine EC155, hospitals and air medical service providers count on Airbus Helicopters, Inc. when safety, performance and reliability can literally mean the difference between life and death.
AS350
The AS350 AStar has established itself as the most popular single-engine emergency medical services (EMS) rotorcraft in U.S. service, offering a combination of safety, low operating costs and a spacious cabin.  One major operator of the AS350 is Air Methods Corporation, the nation’s largest air medical transportation provider.  In 2012, Air Methods ordered six additional AS350 B3e helicopters to further expand its fleet of more than 330 Airbus Helicopters-built aircraft.
Other AS350 air medical customers in the U.S. include: Air Evac Services Inc.; EagleMed; Hospital Wing; LifeNet Arizona; Southwest Med Evac; and PHI.
EC130
The EC130 brings together the powerful engine, dual-channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) and dual hydraulics of the AS350 B3e with an enlarged cabin interior and Fenestron® anti-torque tail rotor. Combining low operating costs with the roomiest cabin size in its class, the EC130 is rapidly becoming a popular choice for EMS missions – with current operators including Air Methods, Medi Flight Oklahoma, Hospital Wing and MedFlight of Ohio.
EC135
Airbus Helicopters, Inc.’s EC135 is the twin-engine platform of choice for many air medical service providers, accounting for over 50 percent of all twin-engine air medical services deliveries over the past decade. The EC135 is offered with a wide range of dedicated EMS interiors, maximizing the operator’s choices for single-patient, dual-patient or isolette transport. The EC135’s Fenestron tail rotor and rear-fuselage clamshell doors offer the safest and easiest loading possible, while the aircraft’s anti-resonance isolation system ensures that patients are given the smoothest possible ride.
Major U.S. EMS operators and service providers with the EC135 include Air Methods Corporation, Med-Trans Corporation, Midwest Medical Transport Co., MidAtlantic MedEvac, Metro Aviation, Northwest MedStar, PennSTAR AMS, PHI Air Medical, REACH Air Medical Services, ProMedica Air, Med-Trans, STAT MedEvac, and CALSTAR. 
EC145
The EC145 enjoys an exceptional EMS heritage in the shape of its BK117 predecessor, and has rapidly become the platform of choice in its class.  Providing the highest levels of safety and performance, the EC145 is offered with a wide range of comprehensively-equipped air medical services interiors.  The EC145 combines a spacious cabin with a high-mounted tail rotor, allowing for safe patient loading through wide sliding doors or rear window-equipped rear clamshell doors.
Life Flight Air Medical HelicopterThe growing list of EC145 air medical services customers reads like a “who’s who” of air medical service providers in the United States, and includes:  Allegheny General Hospital’s LifeFlight AMS;  EmergyCare Erie LifeStar;  Florida Hospital Medical Center;  Geisinger Life Flight;  Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center’s MedLink Air;  Mayo Medical Services;  Memorial Hermann Hospital;  Stanford Life Flight;  STAT MedEvac;  Travis County STAR Flight;  the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center’s LifeFlight; OSF Aviation; Air Care & Mobile Care; University of Utah’s AirMed Program; Metro Aviation and Vanderbilt LifeFlight.  The EC145 is also utilized in the medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) role by the U.S. Army in its UH-72A Lakota version.
The EC145 T2 is the latest evolution for Airbus Helicopters, Inc.’s twin-engine multi-purpose helicopter family. With more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 2E engines and a Fenestron tail rotor, the EC145 T2 offers improved performance and safer operations for air medical service providers.
AS365 N3 and EC155
For long-distance, multi-patient or multi-mission transports, Airbus Helicopters, Inc. offers the AS365 N3 Dauphin and the wide-body EC155.  These high-performance platforms offer outstanding cabin space, maximizing patient care and access.  The AS365 and EC155 also provide the smoothest of rides and high cruise speeds, plus genuine all-weather capabilities.  The AS365 is currently utilized by eight air medical operators, including Life Lion Air Medical, Miami Valley Hospital Careflight, Parkview Samaritan, the University of Chicago Hospitals' Aeromedical Network and West Michigan Air Care.
Among the EC155’s air medical customers are the University of Michigan’s Survival Flight and ShandsCair.