UNION CITY, Tenn. —
Three crew members suffered minor injuries after a medical helicopter went down hard in a landing in Union City on Wednesday.
The chopper went down near Home and Howard Street near the Union City Police 911 building.
A spokesperson with the Air Evac Lifeteam said Air Evac 143 went down at 11:40 a.m., with three crew members were on board. They were based out of Troy, Tennessee and were headed to Obion County.
No patients were involved. Three crew members were treated and released from a local hospital.
Brad Woody, program director for the Obion County Air Evac base, was waiting for the crew at the 911 dispatch center in Union City when the hard landing occurred.
“The crew was on its way to the dispatch center to go over the new satellite tracking capabilities Air Evac provided to them,” Woody said. “We are thankful the crew experienced only minor injuries.”
The NTSB and FAA have been notified of the event.
Date: 08-NOV-2017
Time: 11:40 LT
Type:
Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III
Owner/operator: Air Evac EMS Inc
Registration: N275AE
C/n / msn: 51186
Fatalities: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Substantial
Location: Obion County, Union City, TN -
United States of America Phase: En route
Nature: Ambulance
Departure airport: Troy, TN
Destination airport: Union City, TN
Narrative:
While en route the air ambulance / HEMS helicopter experienced a hard force landing in an urban area in east Union City, Tennessee. The helicopter sustained substantial damage consistent with a wire strike (tbc). The three occupants received minor injuries (e.g. smashed upper windscreen, lost upper wire strike cutter and transmission). There was no patient onboard.
Some press report suggest a 'training flight' while others state the crew were en route to the Union City site for a sat tracking system briefing.
Sources:
http://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2017/11/08/helicopter-crashes-union-city-tn/
http://www.wbbjtv.com/2017/11/08/medical-helicopter-crashes-union-city/
http://wreg.com/2017/11/08/medical-helicopter-crashes-in-obion-county/
http://www.localmemphis.com/news/local-news/air-evac-helicopter-crashes-in
-union-city-tennessee/853672837
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http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=275AE