GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - Investigators are saying the medical helicopter that crashed in Georgetown County late Friday night killing all three of its crew members was trying to divert to the Georgetown County Airport.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Robert Sumwalt said Saturday the helicopter encountered inclement weather and was attempting to land when it crashed near Whitehall Avenue and US-17.
Sumwalt said the pilot reported clear weather when he left MUSC, but reported severe weather as they began to approach the Georgetown County area.
The company that owned the helicopter, Addison, TX-based Omniflight says the helicopter, traveling from Charleston to Conway, crashed 63 miles into its flight along a wooded area of Whitehall Road off of US-17 in Georgetown County, killing its crew.
Omniflight said 45-year-old pilot Patrick Walters of Murrells Inlet; 42-year-old flight nurse Diana Conner of Florence; and 39-year-old paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove of Bladenboro, NC, died in the Friday night crash.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson says no patients were on board.
Georgetown County Coroner Kenny Johnson said the bodies of the victims were taken to MUSC, but were having difficulties identifying the victims' bodies because they were severely burned.
Sumwalt said in a press conference Saturday evening that the helicopter was destroyed at the crash site. Early examinations by the NTSB's lead investigation show the chopper impacted the ground nose first and there was no sign of in-flight fire.
The fire consumed the debris after impact, Sumwalt explained, noting there was no cockpit recorder or flight recorder because it is not required in this type of helicopter.
Sumwalt said investigators are preparing the site for rain Saturday night and plan to return to the scene of the crash early Sunday, specifically looking at tree strike angles.
Georgetown County officials have not been able to locate any witnesses, and are actively looking for anyone that may have seen or heard the crash. They are working to open a witness tip line.
On its website, Omniflight says the company operates 100 aircraft from 72 bases in 18 states. In a statement, the company said its 1,000 employees were coping with the tragedy.
"Omniflight is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of its crew members and wishes to express its deepest regrets and sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives," the company said in a statement Saturday.
Omniflight Vice President Joel Hochhalter says the American Eurocopter AS350B2 was the only helicopter based in Conway, and the company is suspending service for the time being. When crews are able to resume service, Hochhalter said the company will send another chopper.
NTSB records show the aircraft was damaged during a May 2008 incident.
According to the NTSB, a pilot preparing for takeoff from Caffery Heliport in Hiram, GA, said the helicopter began to shake violently as he advanced the throttle. Immediately shutting down the helicopter, he told investigators he saw extensive damage to the main rotor.
An audit of maintenance records showed that the rotor should have been replaced almost 600 flight hours earlier, the report showed. Omniflight immediately audited its other helicopters, and no other rotors were shown as overdue for replacement.
NTSB records also show that another similar helicopter, also operated by Omniflight, was involved in another incident in South Carolina. On July 2, another Eurocopter was damaged when it struck steel poles adjacent to the helipad at Loris Community Hospital Heliport.
No one was injured. The pilot continued the landing and performed an emergency engine shutdown, records show.
Hochhalter noted the 2000-model helicopter only had about 1,350 service hours on it, and was a third of its way through its service life, adding it was reliable. He said the helicopter had never had mechanical problems and to talk about what went wrong would be "pure speculation." The helicopter is equipped with a satellite tracking system, Hochhalter explained, which last tracked at 12:38 p.m.
At a press conference at Georgetown County Airport with officials from Omniflight and Midway Fire-Rescue and Georgetown County officials, Sam Hodge, manager of Georgetown County Emergency Management, said it's too early to rule out what might have caused the crash.
The helicopter was scheduled to be featured at the Georgetown Fire and Life Safety Expo on Saturday. Organizers opted to continue with the event after the crash, and dedicated the expo in honor of the three victims.
"It's a major loss," said Surfside Beach Fire Marshal Greg Faulkenberry, who knew the victims, noting they had become family over his 15 years of service. "These folks I've worked with and now to know that they gone, it's just… it's a member of your family. There's no two ways about it. The fire services, EMS, police - we are all a big family, no matter what role you do. To lose a part of that family, it just really hurts."
Officials say they lost contact with the American Eurocopter AS350B2 helicopter around 11:18 p.m. A search was initiated shortly after the aircraft failed to report to Omniflight's communication center.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen says the pilot last radioed air traffic control at 11:05 p.m., saying the crew was about four miles from an airport near Charleston and had it in sight. The helicopter crashed shortly thereafter, at about 11:30 p.m., Knudson said.
A thunderstorm moved through the area shortly before the crash, according to the National Weather Service. Authorities have not said if weather conditions contributed to the accident.
Hodge said it has been more than 10 years since an aircraft went down in Georgetown County, and since 1980 since a helicopter crashed there.
A Regional One Medical Air Service helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded area near Jalapa, SC after picking up a patient in Northern Newberry County in July 2004. Three Spartanburg rescue workers and a patient onboard were killed in that accident.
NTSB and officials with the FAA are on the scene investigating and plan to be in Georgetown County for about five days. Officials expect to publish a preliminary crash report within the next week.
The NTSB is making safety recommendations for medical choppers after 2008, the deadliest year ever for the medical helicopter industry - 23 crew members and five patients died in seven accidents in 2008. Medical helicopters are not regulated by the NTSB, but according to the Washington Post, the agency recommended choppers use terrain warning systems, flight data records and night vision systems.
Earlier this month, NTSB officials urged the government to impose stricter controls on emergency helicopter operators citing last year's record number of fatalities. There were nine accidents between December 2007 and October 2008, killing 35 people.
There have been three accidents since then, but no fatalities reported until the South Carolina crash.
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