NTSB reports on fatal EagleMed crash
On 19 June, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report into the crash of an EagleMed AS350 B2 helicopter that resulted in the death of the patient onboard, stating that the aircraft impacted a metal light pole before control was lost.
On 19 June, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a preliminary report into the crash of an EagleMed AS350 B2 helicopter that resulted in the death of the patient onboard (https://www.airmedandrescue.com/latest/news/eaglemed-suffers-second-fatal-crash-2013).
The report states that on 11 June, the helicopter landed on a road adjacent to Choctaw Indian Hospital Heliport in Talihina, Oklahoma, as the helipad was occupied at that time. After being on the ground for about an hour, the patient and medical crew were loaded onto the aircraft, and it took off at around 18:30 hrs under day visual meteorological conditions. The pilot intended to follow the centre of the road in a westbound direction, said the NTSB, but after travelling 175 ft (53 m), the helicopter’s rotors hit a 41-ft (12-m) tall metal light pole located on the left side of the road. Subsequently, control of the helicopter was lost and it came to rest on its right side, says the report.