HEMS AS350 Christmas Valley OR 19th May 2022
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HEMS AS350 Christmas Valley OR 19th May 2022
Four injured in Airlink helicopter crash at Christmas Valley airport | KATU
by Carmine Gemei
Wednesday, May 18th 2022
3
VIEW ALL PHOTOS
A second view of the wreckage following Wednesday evening's helicopter crash. As of the Lake County Sheriff's Office press release at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, all four crew members were still alive. (Courtesy: Chuck Coleman)
?subject=Four%20injured%20in%20Airli...egon-ntsb-faa-LAKE COUNTY, Ore. — Four crew members were injured and transported to hospitals following an Airlink helicopter crash at the Christmas Valley Airport in Lake County Wednesday evening.Lake County Sheriff's Office Deputy Daniel Tague confirmed the crash happened at 5:24 p.m. on Wednesday, and all four crew member were still alive as of Lake County Sheriff's Office press release at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday night.
Tague said the Airlink helicopter was in the process of landing at the Christmas Valley Airport to pick up a patient when it crashed.
He said they did not have any leads on what could have caused the crash.
Tague said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have started an investigation into the crash and are currently on their way to Christmas Valley.
FAA Accident and Incident Notification(s): Notice(s) Created 19-MAY-22 IDENTIFICATION Date: 19-MAY-22
Time: 00:29:00Z
Regis#: N851AL Aircraft Make: AIRBUS
Aircraft Model: AS350
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: SERIOUS
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: SUBSTANTIAL
LOCATION City: CHRISTMAS VALLEY
State: OREGON Country: UNITED STATES DESCRIPTION
Description: AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPTING TO LAND AND BECAME INVERTED, CHRISTMAS VALLEY, OR.
INJURY DATA
Total Fatal: 0
Fatal Serious
Minor None Unknown
Flight Crew 0 1 0 0 0
Cabin Crew 0 3 0 0 0
Passenger 0 0 0 0 0
Ground 0 0 0 0 0
OTHER Activity: AMBULANCE
Flight Phase: LANDING (LDG)
Operation: 135
Aircraft Operator: MED-TRANS Flight Number:
FAA FSDO: PORTLAND FSDO
Entry Date: 19-MAY-22
Updated since entry: No
END NOTICE
Last edited by havoc; 19th May 2022 at 20:51. Reason: add news story
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They were landing to pick up a patient.
3rd crew member could have been in training or needed for the patient. just thinking back on situations I have flown In HAA.
Tight doesn’t justify the condition in a 350 or even a 407 with 3 in the back. Even worse with a ballon pump or NICU isolette
3rd crew member could have been in training or needed for the patient. just thinking back on situations I have flown In HAA.
Tight doesn’t justify the condition in a 350 or even a 407 with 3 in the back. Even worse with a ballon pump or NICU isolette
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@Winnie - it said three cabin „crew“. That would not include a patient. Therefore my comment.
@havoc - even if the third member was a trainee, where would he sit? You think he laid on the stretcher?😉
@ LRP - what middle seat? All „stretcher“ configurations I know have a pilot up front, two seats (one half of the four row bench) behind him and the stretcher beside the pilot from front to back. So in the whole aircraft there only are three seats (incl. pilot) and a stretcher. So to my knowledge no chance of three „cabin crew“.
But you never stop learning, so maybe you can point out another lay-out to me.
@havoc - even if the third member was a trainee, where would he sit? You think he laid on the stretcher?😉
@ LRP - what middle seat? All „stretcher“ configurations I know have a pilot up front, two seats (one half of the four row bench) behind him and the stretcher beside the pilot from front to back. So in the whole aircraft there only are three seats (incl. pilot) and a stretcher. So to my knowledge no chance of three „cabin crew“.
But you never stop learning, so maybe you can point out another lay-out to me.
Aircraft Weight and Balance
Depending on fuel load, passenger weights and locations in the cabin, the aircraft could have been operating at or in excess weight and Balance limits.
@Winnie - it said three cabin „crew“. That would not include a patient. Therefore my comment.
@havoc - even if the third member was a trainee, where would he sit? You think he laid on the stretcher?😉
@ LRP - what middle seat? All „stretcher“ configurations I know have a pilot up front, two seats (one half of the four row bench) behind him and the stretcher beside the pilot from front to back. So in the whole aircraft there only are three seats (incl. pilot) and a stretcher. So to my knowledge no chance of three „cabin crew“.
But you never stop learning, so maybe you can point out another lay-out to me.
@havoc - even if the third member was a trainee, where would he sit? You think he laid on the stretcher?😉
@ LRP - what middle seat? All „stretcher“ configurations I know have a pilot up front, two seats (one half of the four row bench) behind him and the stretcher beside the pilot from front to back. So in the whole aircraft there only are three seats (incl. pilot) and a stretcher. So to my knowledge no chance of three „cabin crew“.
But you never stop learning, so maybe you can point out another lay-out to me.
I assume this flight originated in Bend....and would have been no refuel in Christmas Valley.....so about a 160NM round trip plus daytime Reserve and zero burn fuel?
Four folks plus picking up a Patient....Adult, Child, or Infant?
Certainly not an Isolate flight as there would not have been room for for four Adults....or am I wrong in thinking that?
My experience was a Neo-Nate Flight involving an Isolette involved an extra Med Crew or even two....but my experience was in 412's for that work.
Four folks plus picking up a Patient....Adult, Child, or Infant?
Certainly not an Isolate flight as there would not have been room for for four Adults....or am I wrong in thinking that?
My experience was a Neo-Nate Flight involving an Isolette involved an extra Med Crew or even two....but my experience was in 412's for that work.
Bend airport to Christmas Valley is only 57NM, and the airport is at 4320 MSL. All well within the performance envelope of a maximum GWT B3. Weather was 6000 SCT to clear, however, high winds in the area gusting to 30 knots. Also, note the RFM HIGE/HOGE performance charts stipulate: NO WIND.
FWIW, the pictures I have seen seem to show the wreckage off aiport near a road.
I have heard 4th crew was in training and if the patient wasn't a child, could have been left at the airport with the ambulance crew (that is not that unusual in the HAA world I came from).
FWIW, the pictures I have seen seem to show the wreckage off aiport near a road.
I have heard 4th crew was in training and if the patient wasn't a child, could have been left at the airport with the ambulance crew (that is not that unusual in the HAA world I came from).
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Hallo LRP, would you have a picture or drawing of that "half extra seat" lay-out? All stretcher configs I have seen so far would mean that - if you put in another seat "directly behind the litter" - you would sit on the patients head (see picture)
A photo of your desciption would be appreciated. I would class such a lay-oüt as "ridicuolus"
A photo of your desciption would be appreciated. I would class such a lay-oüt as "ridicuolus"
Hallo LRP, would you have a picture or drawing of that "half extra seat" lay-out? All stretcher configs I have seen so far would mean that - if you put in another seat "directly behind the litter" - you would sit on the patients head (see picture)
A photo of your desciption would be appreciated. I would class such a lay-oüt as "ridicuolus"
A photo of your desciption would be appreciated. I would class such a lay-oüt as "ridicuolus"
Are the three bulkhead (Med Crew) Seats certified as being crashworthy?
If so...does stowing equipment and other items beneath them conform with the requirements for those crashworthy seats?
We once ran into such a problem at my Operator when our designers built in a small compartment under such a certified seat and we had to remove it.
Advanced Care capability requires a lot of gear....and stowage has always been a difficult thing to accommodate without compromising something else.
Access to the patient in small aircraft is one such issue....as in some aircraft there just isn't room to grant enough access should the patient begin to crater enroute.
Air Methods has long had an excellent engineering and design capability.
If so...does stowing equipment and other items beneath them conform with the requirements for those crashworthy seats?
We once ran into such a problem at my Operator when our designers built in a small compartment under such a certified seat and we had to remove it.
Advanced Care capability requires a lot of gear....and stowage has always been a difficult thing to accommodate without compromising something else.
Access to the patient in small aircraft is one such issue....as in some aircraft there just isn't room to grant enough access should the patient begin to crater enroute.
Air Methods has long had an excellent engineering and design capability.
I'm pretty certain there is a placard that reads "do not store anything under all the seats" [sic] in the factory bench seat equipped cabin. At least in the older models that i've flown. We always joked that this placard is actually a bit ambiguous, as it could technically allow us to store something under *some* of the seats.
Anyways, that cabin layout is absolutely ridiculous. But I'd be very surprised if they were running these machines with stuff stored in a non-approved way.