Flight History
On February 22, 2013, at approximately 0542 central standard time, a Eurocopter AS350B2 emergency medical service (EMS) helicopter, registration N917EM, operated by EagleMed LLC, crashed in the parking lot of St. Ann's Retirement Home in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a repositioning flight for an inter-hospital transfer of a cardiac patient. The helicopter had departed the Integris Baptist Hospital (OK19) helipad at 0538 with a destination of Watonga, Oklahoma. Onboard were three crewmembers: the commercial pilot, a flight nurse, and a paramedic. The pilot and flight nurse sustained fatal injuries; the paramedic sustained serious injuries. Dark night visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a company flight plan had been filed.
SkyConnect satellite data indicated the helicopter climbed on a northwest bearing before the data stopped about 3 minutes 30 seconds into the flight. Fixed video surveillance showed the helicopter descending and bursting into flames upon impact. The debris path was approximately 75 feet long on a heading of 065 degrees magnetic. Impact signatures were consistent with a right-side low attitude (approximately 40 degrees) and a high rate of descent, with an estimated descent angle of 25 degrees.
Witness statements described a flash in the sky, a sudden engine power-down, and a loud impact followed by explosions. One witness observed the helicopter descending nose-down and then angling down as if attempting to land. Another reported hearing the engine go silent before the crash.
Crew Information
The pilot held a valid Commercial Helicopter Pilot Certificate with an Instrument Helicopter rating and a second-class medical certificate dated January 1, 2013, with no limitations. He had accumulated 4,960 total flight hours (3,702 hours as pilot-in-command), all in helicopters, including 202 hours in the AS350B2. His most recent annual training, completed on January 15, 2013, included practice autorotations and simulated engine failure scenarios. The EagleMed chief pilot reported the pilot was in good health and had no extraordinary events in the prior 72 hours.
Aircraft Information
The accident helicopter was a Eurocopter AS350 B2 (AStar) originally equipped with a Turbomeca Arriel 1D1 engine. However, the operator had replaced it with a Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 turboshaft engine under Soloy Aviation Solutions supplemental type certificate (STC) No. SR01647SE on July 30, 2008. The LTS101 engine, serial number LE-46036C, was manufactured in September 1983 and had accumulated 8,568.1 hours since new. An optional inlet air filter kit was not installed on the helicopter.
The engine is a dual-spool turboshaft with a single-stage axial compressor and single-stage centrifugal compressor. Maximum takeoff power is 732 shaft horsepower, flat-rated to 72°F.
Meteorological Conditions
At 0453, an automated weather reporting station at Wiley Post Airport (PWA), Oklahoma City, reported wind from 340 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, temperature 19°F, dew point 12°F, and barometric pressure 30.02 inches of mercury. The previous day, temperatures had fallen from a high of 35°F to a low of 19°F by the morning of the accident. Trace precipitation was recorded earlier. The Integris Hospital Helipad is about 3 miles east of PWA.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The majority of the helicopter structure was thermally damaged from post-impact fire and fragmented. The main rotor blades remained attached; the tail section separated from the fuselage due to thermal distress. The collective control was found in the full down position, the fuel shutoff control was full forward/down, the rotor brake handle was stowed, and the fuel flow control lever was in the flight position. The cyclic control yoke was free and easy to move. Flight control continuity could not be confirmed due to thermal damage.
The engine was found aft of the main transmission, attached by the right mount, covered in soot. The air inlet screen was bent but without holes. The engine throttle lever was disconnected from the throttle cable, and the power turbine speed set cable was also disconnected. The electronic overspeed governor was thermally distressed.