Are all of our people OK

[larry_csa]

I see where 2 med-vac chopper crashed in AZ. I know one of our member is a pilot in AZ. IS all Well??
Larry

[Xplantdad]

There were actually 3 different helicopters that crashed this past weekend...2 in Flagstaff yesterday...and one somewhere else on Firday.

Is NgtFlyr okay? Sam, you got your ears on?

[SS427]

Lets hope he was not one of them.

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3651879

http://www.dbtechno.com/health/2008/...ves-3-injured/

[DarrenX33]

Per news reports.. "Both of the helicopters were Bell 407 models, according to the Federal Aviation Administration."

Dave's helicopter is a S-350B3 (A Star).

I am guessing he is fine.. Hopefully. Chime in buddy.

[SS427]

This crash was a non fatal crash and was operated by the same company that NgtFlyr works for. Lets hope he is ok.

By Andrew Duncan
15:16, June 30th 2008

A medical helicopter crashed early Friday in northern Arizona, about 30 miles outside of Prescott, while it was flying to pick up a motorcycle accident victim. The Prescott Air Evac crew went down shortly after 4 a.m., south of Ash Fork. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Ash Fork is located on Interstate 40 about 50 miles west of Flagstaff.

<font color="red">The pilot, flight paramedic and flight nurse were hurt in the crash, according to Jonathan Collier, a spokesman with Air Evac Inc.,</font> the Associated Press reported. They were taken to Flagstaff hospital.

The chopper was trying to find a safe zone to land when it went down. It rolled several times as it was trying to land.

The paramedic was the most seriously injured. He had surgery after the crash and is doing much better. The nurse is listed in serious condition at Flagstaff hospital. <font color="red">The pilot is in good condition and is expected to be released soon. </font>

“When he came in there was lots of dust and dirt, and we believe he was browned out,” Denny Davenport, chief administrator of the fire department told the Associated Press. A “brownout” refers to circumstances in which a helicopter pilot loses bearings in poor visibility, the AP notes.

The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the cause of the accident.

[SS427]

Here is another report. Looks to be the same type he was flyer but there is no mention of the "N" number and one cannot be seen.

Prescott News

This was an AS-350 Chopper.

[mockingbird812]

[ QUOTE ]
I see where 2 med-vac chopper crashed in AZ. I know one of our member is a pilot in AZ. IS all Well??
Larry

[/ QUOTE ]

Got an email from Dave (ngtflyr) this a.m. He's fine!

[Xplantdad]

Good to hear! When I saw the video news report on TV and saw the color of the helicopter...it threw me for a loop!

[DarrenX33]

[ QUOTE ]
Here is another report. Looks to be the same type he was flyer but there is no mention of the "N" number and one cannot be seen.

Prescott News

This was an AS-350 Chopper.

[/ QUOTE ]

What the hell was I reading.

[Ngtflyr]

Just seeing this now. I'm fine just a little busy. It has been a bad year, 10 EMS helo crashes so far this year nationwide. I work for Air Evac a subsidary of PHI, up until June we had a stellar safety record, best in the industry. A big factor on why I chose PHI, it has the best equipment, maintenance and safety record. We had a fatal crash near Houston on 6 June, about 0230 in the morning 4 fatalities. Last week we had another mishap up near Flagstaff three injuries one serious, on NVGs at 340 in the morning, most likely a brownout.. The sad thing in virtually all the mishaps is that they were preventable expecially the most recent one, the midair near Flagstaff. High time pilots one with over 10K hrs and the other over 5K hrs, for some reason they just didn't see each other on a clear vfr afternoon. Still the most dangerous part of my job is my drive to and from work. Thanks for the concern.