Albuquerque, NM USA--Crash
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Crashed helicopter removed from roof:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —A disabled PHI Air Medical helicopter was lifted off the roof of UNM Hospital Saturday, three days after it crashed while attempting to take off.
Police blocked off a section of Lomas Boulevard before dawn Saturday and shortly after, crews positioned a 125-ton crane in front of the hospital's entrance.
By 10:15 a.m. the helicopter was on a flatbed truck. Electricity, which had been provided by generators during the operation, was then turned back on.
"The emergency operations center did exactly what it's supposed to do," said Dr. Bob Bailey, a UNMH physician and EOC incident commander. "Patients and staff are safe, and the integrity of our clinical operation was preserved. What a privilege to work with such dedicated people who rose to the challenge and performed superbly."
Before bringing the main body of the helicopter down, the crane lowered the aircraft's tail and two 55-gallon drums of fuel that had been offloaded from the helicopter Friday. Due to high-voltage power lines running next to the hospital, PNM required that power be cut to those lines while the crane lowered the wreckage.
Clinical services at the hospital continued uninterrupted while the helicopter was removed. UNM had cancelled classes and indoor events scheduled before noon Saturday. The adjacent UNM Health Sciences Center had also cancelled campus activities Saturday.
“We spent all day Friday planning for how to carefully make the power switch so there would be minimal impact to the hospital and to the campus,” said Mary Vosevich, UNM's physical plant director. “We had contingency plans in place and implemented them with more than 40 physical plant employees working to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has possession of the helicopter as it continues its investigation into what caused the crash.
The helicopter spun around several times before landing on its side near the edge of the roof after it attempted to take off from the hospital's helipad.
No patients were aboard when the helicopter crashed. The pilot suffered minor injuries but two other crew members on board were not injured. There were no injuries to UNMH patients or employees.
As a precaution, 18 patients on portions of UNMH's fifth and sixth floors directly beneath the helipad were moved to other areas of the hospital. Otherwise patient care was uninterrupted, the hospital said.
Most clinical and administrative hospital operations are back to normal.
Police blocked off a section of Lomas Boulevard before dawn Saturday and shortly after, crews positioned a 125-ton crane in front of the hospital's entrance.
By 10:15 a.m. the helicopter was on a flatbed truck. Electricity, which had been provided by generators during the operation, was then turned back on.
"The emergency operations center did exactly what it's supposed to do," said Dr. Bob Bailey, a UNMH physician and EOC incident commander. "Patients and staff are safe, and the integrity of our clinical operation was preserved. What a privilege to work with such dedicated people who rose to the challenge and performed superbly."
Before bringing the main body of the helicopter down, the crane lowered the aircraft's tail and two 55-gallon drums of fuel that had been offloaded from the helicopter Friday. Due to high-voltage power lines running next to the hospital, PNM required that power be cut to those lines while the crane lowered the wreckage.
Clinical services at the hospital continued uninterrupted while the helicopter was removed. UNM had cancelled classes and indoor events scheduled before noon Saturday. The adjacent UNM Health Sciences Center had also cancelled campus activities Saturday.
“We spent all day Friday planning for how to carefully make the power switch so there would be minimal impact to the hospital and to the campus,” said Mary Vosevich, UNM's physical plant director. “We had contingency plans in place and implemented them with more than 40 physical plant employees working to make sure everything went as smoothly as possible.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has possession of the helicopter as it continues its investigation into what caused the crash.
The helicopter spun around several times before landing on its side near the edge of the roof after it attempted to take off from the hospital's helipad.
No patients were aboard when the helicopter crashed. The pilot suffered minor injuries but two other crew members on board were not injured. There were no injuries to UNMH patients or employees.
As a precaution, 18 patients on portions of UNMH's fifth and sixth floors directly beneath the helipad were moved to other areas of the hospital. Otherwise patient care was uninterrupted, the hospital said.
Most clinical and administrative hospital operations are back to normal.
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NTSB initial report released.
The pilot reported that he had completed all pre-takeoff hydraulic checks and that after liftoff, he commanded a slight left turn. However, the helicopter kept turning and entered a spin. The pilot added that the pedals were jammed or locked, in the neutral position. Video from a security camera mounted on the hospital helipad revealed that the helicopter began to yaw in a counterclockwise direction as it lifted off the helipad. The helicopter completed several rotations before it impacted the roof top, and came to rest adjacent the helipad. A small post-crash fire started, but was extinguished shortly after the helipad's fire suppression system activated.
From the link in Dan Foulds' post.
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The pilot reported "blocked pedals". Where is the tie to the Throttle in that comment? He did not say he applied full pedal and got no response, which could be a function of Rotor RPM loss. Also no mention of Rotor RPM issues either.
The pilot added that the pedals were jammed or locked, in the neutral position.
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How does a throttle position problem translate into the above?
Most Squirrels have a stupid throttle lever position/location either on the floor or on the roof. So how do you do a hovering auto if you have to let go the lever?
Apparently this type was a B3 with a sensible throttle position on the lever. So the pilot would be able to control throttle without having to let go the lever.
Last edited by chopjock; 17th Apr 2014 at 22:20.