Medevac Helicopter Crashes Immediately After Takeoff; No Injuries

On July 4, 2020, about 1357 eastern daylight time, an Airbus Helicopter BK117, registration N263MH owned by MetroHealth System, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Wayne County Airport, Wooster, Ohio. The two commercial pilots, a flight physician, and a flight nurse sustained no injuries.

Airport surveillance video shows that after lifting off from a portable dolly, the helicopter turned right and briefly hovered. As the helicopter began to take off following the hover, it traversed a grassy area adjacent to the ramp about 10 ft above ground level, where a silt construction fence was obscured by tall grass. As the helicopter overflew the fence, it became unsecured, blowing up and into the helicopter’s main and tail rotor system. The crew performed a forced landing. The debris impact and forced landing resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and tail rotor blades of the helicopter.

At the time of the accident, there were no notices to airmen (NOTAMS) for the construction fence and the presence of the fence was not contained within any publications or notices available to pilots.

According to a statement by Metro Life Flight, "The aircraft immediately had severe vibration in the rotor system and was difficult to control. Our two pilots rapidly executed an emergency landing. Their swift actions allowed everyone on board to walk away unharmed. We also want to acknowledge the training and skill of the rest of the crew, as well as our communications specialists, who managed the response to the incident."

Видео Medevac Helicopter Crashes Immediately After Takeoff; No Injuries канала What You Haven't Seen