Tuesday, May 09, 2000
Air Care copters back in service
NTSB probe of accident continuing
By Tom O'Neill
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Two of Greater Cincinnati's three emergency helicopters returned to service at noon Monday, 36 hours after they were grounded following a crash-landing on the helipad atop University Hospital.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will continue its investigation today into the cause of the apparent back-propellor rotor failure.
According to NTSB crash records obtained by The Enquirer from its office in Washington, D.C., five of the 38 medical-transport helicopter crashes investigated by the federal agency since 1990 involved the same BK117 model.
None of those crashes involved failure of the back rotor or propeller. The rear propellor spins vertically, countering the action of the main, horizontally spinning blade. The combination stabilizes the helicopter.
The two other Air Care helicopters were grounded because the helipad was shut down as an accident site. The Federal Aviation Administration approved its reopening.
During the grounding, Air Care's five transport runs were made by Care Flight out of Dayton, Ohio's Miami Valley Hospital. Such mutual assistance is common in medical transport.
Pilot John Robinson, 52, was alone returning from refueling at Lunken Airport at 11:56 p.m. Saturday when he heard a bang and lost control of the rear rotor, forcing the helicopter into a brief spiraling descent, Air Care Director Dudley Smith said Monday.
Mr. Robinson, unable to control the helicopter as it approached, shut off all power and belly-flopped onto the helipad with such force that the craft's legs broke off. Mr. Smith said Monday the helicopter was likely less than 50 feet above the landing area when it fell. Damage to the American Eurocopter-manufactured helicopter was tentatively estimated at $500,000, though Mr. Smith cautioned that estimate could vary.
“We've always looked at our primary goal as good quality care,” Mr. Dudley said of the grounding. “And anything that interferes with that is a concern, be that weather or anything else.”
Air Care acquired that helicopter about two years ago.It is owned and operated by Lafayette, La.-based Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI). Mr. Smith said daily inspections, including one Saturday, revealed no mechanical problems.
Daphne Babin, a spokeswoman for PHI, said Monday the company would not comment on the helicopter's inspection records until the NTSB probe is complete.
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