Some Australian HEMS incidents from the ATSB database.
ATSB occurrence number 198702454
25 December 1987 near Mt Barrington NSW a HEMS crewman is injured by a stretcher during winching when it began spinning in the airflow of the hovering helicopter
ATSB Occurrence number BO/199301330
On 12 May 1993, a Bell 206L helicopter was operating a night VFR medical evacuation flight to North Fraser Island, Queensland. As the helicopter approached the destination it entered rain and the pilot commenced a descent and the pilot lost sight of all but one of the three light sources at the destination. The helicopter subsequently struck trees and came to rest upright about 400 m short of the intended landing point. The aircraft was substantially damaged but there were no injuries. The investigation determined that there was pressure on the pilot to complete the evacuation.
ATSB occurrence number 199002013
30 December 1994 a HEMS doctor is seriously injured after falling 30' from a winching line when it was accidentally cut by a faulty shear squib
ATSB occurrence number 199403932
30 December 1994 a HEMS crewman is seriously injured during a winching mishap near Glenn innes NSW
ATSB occurrence number 9701421
On 2nd May 1997 a Bell 206 VH-CKP on a rescue task exploded and burned out while on the ground after a crewman opened the valve of an incorrectly designed and fitted oxygen system.
ATSB occurrence number BO/200003130
On 24 July 2000, VH-FFI a Bell 206L helicopter on a night VFR medical evacuation flight to Rockhampton Hospital crashed and all five occupants received fatal injuries. The investigation concluded that the reason for the engine power loss was probably fuel starvation, resultant from poor flight planning secondary to actual or perceived pressure to take off ASAP.
ATSB occurrence number BO/200102083
On 27 April 2001, VH-WOQ a Bell 407 helicopter was engaged in a night search and rescue flight off shore near Gladstone, Queensland when the helicopter impacted the water during the approach to drop a life raft. The crew were attempting a procedure for which they had not been trained or qualified to perform.
ATSB occurrence number 00304282
17 October 2003 a Bell 407 helicopter, registered VH-HTD crashed into the sea off Cape Hillsboro while on a night VFR medical tasking to Hamilton Island, killing all three crew aboard.
ATSB occurrence number 200505107
11th October 2005 the pilot of a VFR EMS helicopter deliberately flew into deteriorating weather at night which necessitated an instrument approach to land, with neither the pilot being qualified nor the aircraft equipped to perform instrument approaches. The pilot reported that he felt pressured to ‘get the aircraft home’ in case other tasks could not be undertaken.
ATSB occurrence number AO-2009-068
9 November 2009 A paramedic is seriously injured (paralysed) after falling onto the deck of a ship when a winch cable broke during a HEMS task in Torres Straits Qld
ATSB occurrence number AO-2011-166
On 24 December 2011 an Agusta Westland AW139 helicopter departed Bankstown Airport in response to an emergency personal locator beacon.
On locating the emergency beacon, the crew identified a seriously injured person on a rock ledge near the bottom of a waterfall. During the retrieval, the patient and one of the paramedics hit rocks at the base of the waterfall. The paramedic died from the impact. The patient was subsequently transported to hospital for treatment.
ATSB occurrence number 201202931
25-03-2012 A near-midair incident occurred between an EMS B200 and a CHP helicopter.
ATSB occurrence number AO-2013-099
13 June 2013, a HEMS B412 was badly damaged on Horn Island Qld when it entered a vortex ring state during a practice night sun approach.
ATSB occurrence number AO-2013-136
31 August 2013 A patient died after falling from a winch strop during a HEMS rescue in Victoria
ATSB Rep?
21 August 2014 HEMS B412 in Victoria forced landing with patients on board after rotor problems