IN GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, THIS MORNING an Aero-Med helicopter struck a rooftop radio tower at the Spectrum Hospital and crashed onto the heliport, breaking into flames and spewing raw fuel into the stairwell.

WXMI photo

The helicopter was on a training mission with an FAA official riding with the sole pilot as he performed “touch and go” landings at the heliport.  An eyewitness told Ch. 13 that the plane touched down and then rose up quite high when the tail rotor clipped the tower, crashed back down on the helipad and was thrown over onto its side.  The two men on board both bailed out and safely got away from the craft before it burst into flames.  The fuel spill into the stairway caused further confusion inside the pediatric unit which is located just under the landing zone.

The hospital went immediately into shutdown and the three floors immediately beneath the crash zone were evacuated.  Early reports say that it went very smoothly and there were no injuries at all during this incident.

Grand Rapids Press/Bird photo

The fire, which generated a spectacular smoke plume, was apparently confined to the crash scene and was controlled soon after.  What could have become a major disaster was quickly quelled into just a bad rooftop fire.  All the patients that had been evacuated were returned to their rooms about an hour later.

The Sikorski helicopter was similar
to this one from the same fleet.  (WOOD)

The Grand Rapids Press has a timeline of the event HERE.

ABC News has about a half-minute of raw video taken early on in the fire:

Firegeezer can’t help but think of all the paperwork this one’s going to generate.

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