A preliminary report detailing the
results of the National Transportation Safety Board’s on-site
investigation into the July 3 fatal Flight For Life helicopter crash was
released Thursday morning.
Jennifer Rodi, senior air safety investigator with NTSB, said her team
had finished compiling pieces of the wreckage and sending off evidence
for lab testing. She said they submitted recorders found in the
wreckage, but many suffered significant thermal damage. They also
interviewed several witnesses of the crash.
“We don’t have a definitive ruling or position on it right now,” she said.
According to the report, an Airbus AS350 B3e helicopter crashed in the
upper-west parking lot of St. Anthony Summit Medical Center in Frisco.
Air Methods — the operators of Flight For Life — told investigators that
the helicopter was flying to the American Spirit of Adventure Boy Scout
Camp near Gypsum, Colorado, for a public-relations mission just before
the crash.
The aircraft took off from
the hospital’s helicopter pad, ascending about 100 feet, according to
one witness, before its descent.
“The helicopter continued to spin counterclockwise several times before
it impacted a parking lot and an RV to the southwest of the Flight For
Life hangar and helipad,” the report noted. “The helicopter came to rest
on its right side, was damaged by impact forces and was charred, melted
and partially consumed by fire.”
The
downed helicopter reportedly set fire to a nearby pickup truck, an RV
and a camper, creating a large blaze that firefighters managed to
quickly extinguish. The pilot, Patrick Mahany, was fatally injured in
the crash. Two flight nurses were transported to Denver with serious
injuries.
Flight nurse and paramedic
Dave Repsher, 45, of Silverthorne, remains in critical condition with
burn injuries. Flight nurse Matt Bowe, 32, of Frisco, is in fair
condition.
Rodi said that as part of
the investigation, her team would look into the severity of injuries and
the survivability of the accident.
“We’ll look at the survivable space during the impact sequence and the
role that the impact fire may have had on the severity of the injuries,”
she said.
NTSB is also
investigating the role the environment, or weather, may have had in the
crash. According to the preliminary report, “visual meteorological
conditions prevailed at the time of the accident” — meaning that cloud
height and visibility were acceptable for flight.
However, with a rainstorm that quickly blew in that afternoon, NTSB
will still investigate that as a possible factor with the help of a
meteorologist and the National Weather Service.
“A meterologist will look at the weather conditions,” Rodi said. “There
was nothing directly over the accident site, but there were wind gusts
at the accident site … but, it’s entirely too early to tell.”
NTSB will also investigate the factor the aircraft may have had in the
crash, including signs of mechanical failure or helicopter maintenance.
They will look into the pilot’s background and experience flying that
aircraft, as well.
“With a case of this complexity, will be at least a year,” she said of the investigation.
She added that NTSB does not plan to release any additional information
prior to the development of a probable-cause statement.