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2022-03-05: Derriford Hospital: Woman dies in helicopter landing incident
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-60626396
Derriford Hospital: Woman dies in helicopter landing incidentA woman in her 80s has died after an incident involving a helicopter that was landing at a hospital.Devon and Cornwall Police said two people were injured as a HM Coastguard helicopter was landing at Derriford Hospital's helipad in Plymouth earlier. One person is being treated in hospital while the second person, a local woman in her 80s, has since died. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the helicopter was flying a patient to hospital at the time of the incident. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident and had deployed a team to investigate. An initial investigation is being conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police assisted by a number of partner agencies. The force said it was "believed that two members of the public were injured as a HM Coastguard helicopter was landing at the helipad at Derriford". Police said the family of the woman who died had been contacted. A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "Our deepest sympathies go out to those affected by the incident at Derriford Hospital. "It would be inappropriate to comment while the incident is investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch." A spokeswoman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said a HM Coastguard helicopter was flying a patient to Derriford Hospital and "as it landed, there was an incident which is now being investigated by the police and Air Accidents Investigation Branch". "Our thoughts are with all those affected by today's incident," she added. |
Be interesting to hear of the circumstances that caused the injuries. Rotor wash causing falls?
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....31535210c4.png |
Finally clicked on the link and read the whole article, but no information anyway.
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You may just be able to tell from that pic that this is a partially elevated pad serviced by ramps.
Further illustrations here. Derriford accident: Plymouth Live. |
Could be a problem with car park design, anything really.
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Well what happened?
Hard landing? Someone walked into a tail rotor? |
2022-03-05: Derriford Hospital: Woman dies in helicopter landing incident
A woman in her 80s has died after an incident involving a helicopter that was landing at a hospital. Devon and Cornwall Police said two people were injured as a HM Coastguard helicopter was landing at Derriford Hospital's helipad in Plymouth earlier. One person is being treated in hospital while the second person, a local woman in her 80s, has since died. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the helicopter was flying a patient to hospital at the time of the incident. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it was aware of the incident and had deployed a team to investigate. An initial investigation is being conducted by Devon and Cornwall Police assisted by a number of partner agencies. The force said it was "believed that two members of the public were injured as a HM Coastguard helicopter was landing at the helipad at Derriford". The inference from all of this is that this involved third parties, not the on-board patient(s) :( |
Do the Coast Guard operate the S92 down there.
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Yes, S-92 - not the RN Sea King as the lazy journos have pictured.
Only 7 years out of date! |
The news pic showing the Sea King says 2015 !
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Looks like the pad prevents the public getting too close to the helicopters, but maybe down-wash caught the victims?
Also says the pad was built to take all types of helicopter used, including SAR and military. |
Originally Posted by kev_laline
(Post 11194908)
Well what happened?
Hard landing? Someone walked into a tail rotor? "A woman in her 80s has died after a coastguard helicopter blew her off her feet in a downdraft while landing at a Plymouth hospital, according to a relative. " https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...l-helipad.html |
There must be some journalistic award for such articles. 250 words, and not a single one giving any clue as to what actually happened...
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It wouldn't be the first time that words were written to validate a headline, and did not!
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Local rag say an elderly lady and her niece were blown over in the car park (by the downdraft)
Sadly the elderly lady has passed away, her niece is receiving hospital treatment Family statement to the press: https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/new...n-jean-6758096 |
Originally Posted by kev_laline
(Post 11194908)
Well what happened?
Hard landing? Someone walked into a tail rotor? A 'hard landing' that kills people, is generally called a crash. |
Divert?
Originally Posted by drichard
(Post 11195090)
Local rag say an elderly lady and her niece were blown over in the car park (by the downdraft)
Sadly the elderly lady has passed away, her niece is receiving hospital treatment Family statement to the press: https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/new...n-jean-6758096 |
Derriford Hospital's helipad is surrounded on two sides by public roads and on the other two by the hospital car park, having been moved in 2015 from a previous location not usable at night.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....19959bb8e2.jpg It would be interesting to see the risk assessment that would no doubt have been done at the time. |
The ITV online report currently gives the most detail about this sad event.
ITV - Derriford accident. When compared to the routine air ambulance visits there is not much to choose between S-92A and AW189 downwash. These are not the largest visitors as there is a report on a Merlin having landed there. It appears to me that the shape of the pad and the surrounding ground is more complex than most ground level helipads and there is a possibility that may have played a role in what seem to be TWO accidents resulting from the same hazard. Whatever the details, having sat through a number of reports and presentations about people being blown over to their deaths by helicopters, I hope that this is the moment that more people in the UK, and elsewhere, take this hazard more seriously. When I write 'more people', I mean the CAA, the MCA, aircraft operators, local authority planners and hospital management. (In my experience, SAR Commanders have been particulary attentive to the hazard their downwash produces during take-offs and landings. However, the whole point of our national SAR regulations is that it shifts the risk profile for the benefit of the person rescued.) At SMR, and our friends at MREW & MRI, this hazard is already taken extremely seriously and it is thoroughly briefed for and trained for whenever possible. |
The Beeb has now published an updated version of the story (with a different URL, surprisingly for them: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-60630871) with the following added details:
An 87-year-old woman who died during a helicopter landing was blown over while walking on a footpath, police said. Devon and Cornwall Police said it was continuing to investigate the incident at Derriford Hospital on Friday. The "down draft" from the landing helicopter caused the woman, from Plymouth, to be blown over, the force added. Another woman, also in her 80s, suffered a broken pelvis and remains in hospital in a stable condition. The HM Coastguard helicopter, which was landing at the helipad at the hospital at about 11:20 GMT, was carrying a casualty linked to a separate incident. "Whilst the helicopter was in the process of landing on the helipad, the down draft caused one member of the public, an 87-year-old woman from the Plymouth area who was on near-by footpath, to be blown over", Det Insp Hodges said. She suffered a serious head injury and died at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. The other injured woman was in the car park when it is believed the down draft also caused a car door to slam shut while she was getting out of the vehicle, Devon and Cornwall Police said. |
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