AN EMS HELI PLT RPTS LNDG IN CLOSE PROX TO VEHICLES AT AN AUTO ACCIDENT SCENE AFTER FAILING TO LOCATE THE CORRECT LNDG SITE.
Synopsis
AN EMS HELI PLT RPTS LNDG IN CLOSE PROX TO VEHICLES AT AN AUTO ACCIDENT SCENE AFTER FAILING TO LOCATE THE CORRECT LNDG SITE.
Narrative
MULTIPLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT SCENE FLT. MY ACFT WAS THE SECOND TO ARRIVE AT THE SCENE. THE FIRST ACFT HAD JUST LIFTED AS I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. I WAS TOLD BY GND UNIT TO LAND S OF THE TWO AMBULANCE UNITS. I THOUGHT I HAD GOOD LOCATION IN SIGHT FROM WHERE THE FIRST ACFT LIFTED. LNDG WAS TO BE MADE ON HWY. OTHER ACFT ADVISED ME TO LAND ON THE ROAD; S OF THE GND UNITS AND TO WATCH FOR WIRES NEAR THE ROAD; BUT NOT A FACTOR. I FLEW OVER; LOCATED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE LNDG AREA AND SET UP AN APCH TO THE NW. I SPOTTED THE WIRES W OF THE ROAD AND ALSO XING JUST S OF THE GND UNITS; WHICH WERE PARKED UNDER THE WIRES. I LANDED ON THE ROAD IN THE L LANE OF THE HWY. APPARENTLY; I FIXATED ON THE GND UNITS AND THE WIRES; WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT I LANDED CLOSE OVER A LINE OF STOPPED VEHICLES AND SET DOWN IN THE ADJACENT LANE NEXT TO THE FRONT OF THAT LINE. WE MADE THE PATIENT PICKUP; I TOOK OFF AND COMPLETED THE FLT TO THE HOSPITAL AND RETURNED TO BASE. ON THE TRIP HOME I WAS DISCUSSING THE FLT WITH THE CREW. ONE OF THEM MENTIONED THAT HE WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD LANDED IN THE WRONG LOCATION. THERE WERE ABOUT 6 AMBULANCES ON THE GND COVERING A LARGE AREA AND I HAD PICKED THE WRONG ONES. I DON'T REMEMBER ANY RADIO TFC POINTING OUT MY ERROR. AT THAT POINT I HAD ONE OF THOSE BLINDING FLASHES OF INSIGHT AND I REALIZED HOW DANGEROUS THAT LNDG HAD BEEN. BEFORE THAT POINT IT JUST HADN'T CROSSED MY MIND. I WAS IN THE NEXT LANE; PARALLEL TO THE STOPPED TFC AND MY MAIN ROTOR WAS OVERLAPPING THE CARS! MY TAIL ROTOR WAS IN CLOSE PROX TO THE CARS BEHIND ME! REALLY STUPID! I CAN'T OFFER ANY EXCUSES; I JUST DIDN'T THINK. FORTUNATELY; NO ONE WAS INJURED AND NO DAMAGE WAS DONE. WE WERE ONLY ON THE GND 7 MINS. IT WAS LATE; I WAS AT THE END OF MY SHIFT APCHING 14 HRS AND I GUESS I WASN'T AT MY BEST MENTALLY. WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO LAND IN SOME VERY TIGHT AREAS AND IT IS EASY TO FIXATE ON AVOIDING THE OBSTACLES; BUT ONE MUST ALSO REALIZE WHAT THESE OBSTACLES ARE. INTERESTINGLY; NEITHER OF MY MEDICAL CREW CONSIDERED THE CLOSE VEHICLES AND THEY ASSISTED ME LNDG. I GUESS THEY WERE FIXATED ON GETTING TO THE PATIENT. I DEFINITELY WON'T DO THIS AGAIN. I WILL VERIFY LNDG AREAS WITH GND UNITS AND POSITIVELY IDENT THEM BEFORE LNDG AND NEVER LAND IN CLOSE PROX TO NEARBY NON-EMER VEHICLES. I CAN'T FIND ANY SPECIFIC REG THAT I BROKE; BUT THIS WAS DEFINITELY A SAFETY PROB.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.