aircraft & ambulances firegeezer on 30 Jun 2008 09:06 am
Medical Helicopters Collide Mid-Air In Arizona
TWO AIR AMBULANCES, BOTH BELL 407 HELICOPTERS, COLLIDED IN THE AIR near a hospital in Flagstaff, Arizona, Sunday afternoon.
Flagstaff firefighters knock down remaining
hot spots of one of the helicopters.
(Flagstaff Police Dept. photo)
The latest count has six people dead and one critically injured. The two aircraft were approaching the Flagstaff Medical Center when they collided around 3:45 pm local time. One of the planes was operated by Air Methods Corp. of Englewood, Colorado, and had three people onboard including a patient. All three perished.
The other aircraft was operated by Classic Helicopters of Woods Cross, Utah, and had four people onboard. Three of them died and the fourth, a nurse, was critically injured. Both helicopters were headed for the hospital and were less than a mile away from the facility when they hit and spun out of control. Fire officials said one landed on Switzer Mesa - also called McMillan Mesa - and other landed downhill in a heavily wooded area.
KTVK
A spokesman for the Flagstaff Police Dept. said two rescue workers were slightly injured in a secondary blast as one of the helicopters on the ground exploded. “They were treated for minor burns injuries [sic] and were released from the hospital in good condition,” Sergeant Tom Boughner told a Reuters reporter by telephone from the crash site.
The crash started a brush fire that burned 10-15 acres before it was contained.
Flagstaff Police Dept. photo
The Arizona Republic has the latest REPORT.
The Associated Press has this video report:
on 30 Jun 2008 at 3:39 pm 1.Shawn Bulle said …
This hits close to home!
Most of our patients are transported to Flagstaff.
The top picture is actually of a different helicopter crash Friday 6-27 by AshFork, AZ (2 days before the Flagstaff mid-air collision). I have flown on that particular helicopter during night rescue training. We have often worked with the crew in that crash in which all survived.
(The photo has been replaced with an accurate one. Thanks for spotting that, Shawn….Firegeezer)
We were real surprised when the second crash happened in less than 3 days after the first. It makes me a bit uneasy to fly now. Occasionally, I fly on the helicopters such as Arizona DPS air rescue when asked to assist in EMS care en route to Flagstaff Medical Center. Because we are so far from the hospital, most of our highway accident trauma patients, heart attacks, stroke, etc are flown via helicopter.
One thing that I can say is Flagstaff is heavily wooded with tall pine trees and there aren’t any good open spaces to make an emergency landing.
Our hearts go out to the families of this tragic accident.
Shawn Bulle
Deputy Chief
Seligman Fire Department
on 30 Jun 2008 at 7:26 pm 2.shanana said …
You will be having alot more “hitting close to home” here shortly shawn bulle! We hope you can win lawsuits!