EMS HELI ATTEMPTING TO TRANSPORT BURN PATIENTS TO A BURN CTR HOSPITAL ENCOUNTERED WX ENRTE RESULTING IN TEMPORARY LOSS OF CTL AS WELL AS DEVIATING FROM ALT. DUE TO WX HE HAD TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

1998-05 · NASA ASRS report 401412

Date: 1998-05 · Aircraft: Helicopter

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|inflight-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-weather-turbulence

Synopsis

EMS HELI ATTEMPTING TO TRANSPORT BURN PATIENTS TO A BURN CTR HOSPITAL ENCOUNTERED WX ENRTE RESULTING IN TEMPORARY LOSS OF CTL AS WELL AS DEVIATING FROM ALT. DUE TO WX HE HAD TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

Narrative

I PICKED UP 2 BURN PATIENTS AT XXX HOSPITAL IN XYZ; TO TRANSPORT TO THE BURN CTR IN ABC. HAVING PREVIOUSLY CHKED WX PRIOR TO DEPARTING ABC; I CHKED THE HOSPITAL'S WX RADAR. THE RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF TSTMS STRETCHING FROM JUST S OF ZZZ TO JUST W OF LLL. THE LINE APPEARED TO BE ABOUT 8 MI WIDE. BASED ON MY ANALYSIS OF THE WX RPTS AND THE RADAR PICTURE; I DETERMINED THAT I COULD TRACK E OF THE LINE OF TSTMS TO A POINT SE OF ZZZ AND THEN PROCEED DIRECT TO ABC. I FILED IFR TO ABC TO MAINTAIN POSITIVE ATC CONTACT AND PRECLUDE THE POSSIBILITY OF PROBS WITH LOW MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS. I FULLY EXPECTED TO COMPLETE THE FLT IN VMC CONDITIONS. I DEPARTED THE HOSPITAL HELIPAD VFR AND CALLED ZZZ APCH FOR MY IFR CLRNC. I WAS CLRED DIRECT TO ABC WITH AN ASSIGNED ALT OF 6000 FT MSL. THE CTLR GAVE ME AN UPDATE ON THE LINE OF TSTMS AND AUTH TO DEV AS NECESSARY E OF COURSE TO AVOID WX. BASED ON MY ACFT'S WX RADAR AND STORMSCOPE INDICATIONS; I REQUESTED A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THE CTLR INFORMED ME OF THE REQUIREMENT TO CLB TO 9000 FT ON THAT HEADING AND I ACKNOWLEDGED THE CLRNC. THE CTLR POINTED OUT THAT HE WAS PAINTING A CELL JUST AHEAD AND TO MY R. HE ASKED IF I HAD WX RADAR OR STORMSCOPE CAPABILITIES. I INFORMED HIM THAT I DID AND THAT I WAS PAINTING THE STORM. MY RADAR AND STORMSCOPE INDICATED THAT A SOUTHERLY TRACK WOULD KEEP ME CLR OF THE STORM. I CLB THROUGH A SCATTERED LAYER AT BOTH 6000 FT AND 8000 FT. AS I PASSED THROUGH 8400 FT I ENCOUNTERED A MODERATE RAIN SHOWER THAT DID NOT APPEAR ON MY RADAR. MY FLT VISIBILITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. WITHIN SECONDS OF ENCOUNTERING THE RAIN SHOWER; MY #2 VHF COM RADIO EMITTED VERY LOUD STATIC. CONCERNED WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF ENCOUNTERING ICE; I LEVELED OFF AT 8500 FT AND ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT APCH. UNABLE TO DO SO; I ELECTED TO MAKE A TURN TO THE E USING THE AUTOPLT COUPLED IN THE HEADING MODE. DURING THE TURN I ATTEMPTED TO SELECT THE APPROPRIATE ATC FREQ ON THE #1 VHF COM RADIO. WHILE MY ATTN WAS DIVERTED TO THE RADIO; I FELT THE ACFT'S ANGLE OF BANK INCREASE AND THE NOSE PITCH UP. AS I RETURNED MY ATTN TO THE PLT'S ADI I NOTICED THE AFCS CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED; AN OFF FLAG DISPLAYED ON THE PLT'S ADI; AND THE AIRSPD DECREASING RAPIDLY THROUGH 60 KIAS. UNABLE TO READ THE STANDBY ATTITUDE INDICATOR BECAUSE OF DIM LIGHTING; I SHIFTED MY FOCUS TO THE COPLT'S ADI. THE COPLT'S ADI INDICATED A GREATER THAN STANDARD RATE-OF- TURN AND AN EXCESSIVE NOSE UP ATTITUDE. I IMMEDIATELY INITIATED RECOVERY PROCS. DURING RECOVERY I DSNDED THROUGH 8000 FT ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. CLRING THE RAIN AND IN VMC CONDITIONS I CONTINUED DSNDING AND CALLED ATC TO RPT THE PROB. STILL GETTING STATIC; I SELECTED THE APPROPRIATE ATC RADIO FREQ ON THE #1 VHF COM RADIO. IMMEDIATELY I HEARD ATC CALLING TO INFORM ME THAT MY ALT WOULD NOT ALLOW CONTINUATION ON AN IFR CLRNC AND ASKING WHAT MY INTENTIONS WERE. IN THE ENSUING DIALOGUE I DID A POOR JOB OF COMMUNICATING MY DESIRE TO RETURN TO XYZ WHILE MAINTAINING AN OPTION OF COMPLETING THE FLT ON AN IFR CLRNC IF VMC CONDITIONS COULD NOT BE MAINTAINED. TERRAIN DID NOT PERMIT LNDG AT OUR CURRENT LOCATION. AFTER SOME CONFUSION; I CANCELED IFR AND RETURNED TO XYZ VFR. DURING THE RETURN TRIP; I FOUND THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE PLT'S ATTITUDE SYS HAD POPPED. I RESET THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND THE PLT'S ATTITUDE SYS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPS.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.

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