FlarePath

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

The emergency medical service helicopter had been parked for more than an hour on a paved road next to a hospital. Immediately before takeoff during the predeparture safety briefing, the pilot discussed with the medical crew the 20-ft-tall metal lamp post to the helicopter's immediate left front. However, the pilot did not mention the 40-ft-tall metal lamp post that was 175 ft ahead of the helicopter and on the left side of the roadway. During takeoff, while traveling forward and following the center of the 25-ft-wide paved road, the helicopter's rotating main rotor blades impacted the 40-ft-tall lamp post about 24 ft above its base. The pilot was unable to maintain control of the helicopter, and the helicopter impacted the ground and came to rest on its right side about 230 ft from the takeoff point. The pilot reported that during the takeoff and before impact, he never saw the 40-ft-tall lamp post.

Photographs

6the aircraft, and what the investigators found

Wreckage and site documentation · 6 photographs from the docket

Photographs are NTSB docket attachments — works of the US government, in the public domain. Captions are the Board’s own.

Probable cause

the Board's determination

The helicopter pilot's failure to see and avoid the 40-ft-tall lamp post during takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight evaluation of the obstructions in the takeoff path.

Occurrence sequence

4 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy

1 · Takeoff
Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
2 · Takeoff
Loss of control in flight
defining event
3 · Uncontrolled descent
Part(s) separation from AC
4 · Post-impact
Fire/smoke (post-impact)

Findings

3 causal · 0 contributing

CAUSE
Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition — Pilot
CAUSE
Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole — Awareness of condition
CAUSE
Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation — Pilot

NTSB analysis

from the final report

The emergency medical service helicopter had been parked for more than an hour on a paved road next to a hospital. Immediately before takeoff during the predeparture safety briefing, the pilot discussed with the medical crew the 20-ft-tall metal lamp post to the helicopter's immediate left front. However, the pilot did not mention the 40-ft-tall metal lamp post that was 175 ft ahead of the helicopter and on the left side of the roadway. During takeoff, while traveling forward and following the center of the 25-ft-wide paved road, the helicopter's rotating main rotor blades impacted the 40-ft-tall lamp post about 24 ft above its base. The pilot was unable to maintain control of the helicopter, and the helicopter impacted the ground and came to rest on its right side about 230 ft from the takeoff point. The pilot reported that during the takeoff and before impact, he never saw the 40-ft-tall lamp post.

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