"The terrain condition was a related factor"
On July 9, 1994, a hiker fell and broke her ankle at the 12,200-foot level Colorado's 14,003-foot
Mount Huron. The terrain at the site of the fall was sloped approximately 35 degrees. Rescuers
from the local Sheriff's posse were called. It was a long hike and climb to the scene by rescuers
who were unaccustomed to climbing to such altitude. Despite the fact that the terrain was steep
(35 degrees) and the subject's injuries were minor, rescuers determined that a helicopter
evacuation was the best approach.
The Flight for Life program, based out of St. Anthony's Hospital in Denver, was the first helicopter-
based air-ambulance program in the United States. The helicopter that responded to this rescue
came from their Frisco, Colorado medical clinic. Their A-Star AS-350 B2 helicopter arrived at the
scene as dusk approached.
Ground rescue personnel said the pilot was in radio contact with them as he made his
approach at the 12,200-foot level. The pilot advised them he would place the helicopter's
right skid on the mountain slope to allow them to load the patient on the downhill side.
Rescuers said they were beneath the rotor disc and were shielding their faces from flying
debris when they heard "chopping" noises. They saw the main rotor blades strike the rocks
and saw the helicopter flip over their heads and tumble down the mountain, coming to rest
800 feet away at the 11,400 foot level.
Examination of the accident site revealed the slope to be approximately 35 degrees. Using
the flight manual's three-dimensional scale drawing, three lines were drawn from the
center of the helicopter, the center of the pilot's seat, and the edge of the right skid, and
extended to the tip of the rotor blade. Angles formed by the intersection of these lines with
the horizontal plane measured approximately 28 degrees, 28.5 degrees, and 29 degrees,
respectively.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this
accident as follows: Failure of the pilot to assure main rotor clearance from sloping terrain
while in a hover. The terrain condition was a related factor.
Flight for Life Pilot Gary McCall (49) and flight nurse Sandy Sigman (43) were killed in the
accident. There were numerous minor injuries to rescuers on the ground. A ground team
ultimately evacuated the subject the next morning
Worst short-haul accident in American history
On July 21, 1995, a Honolulu Fire Department McDonnell Douglas 369D helicopter was involved
in a search for a missing hiker in the Koolau Mountains near Sacred Falls, on the island of Oahu.
According to the NTSB, "the pilot had made two prior insertions of search and rescue (SAR)
personnel into the general area of the search. They repelled (sic) out of the helicopter to the
ground. On each of the two insertions an observer was onboard to retrieve the rope. The pilot
subsequently relocated the first two inserted SAR personnel separately with an observer onboard
to a campsite with the use of a Billy Pugh helicopter rescue net. According to an HFD report to the
Safety Board, after returning to the staging area, a decision was made to insert two Honolulu
Police Department (HPD) officers into the search area at one time using the Billy Pugh net. The
report stated that the decision was made by the pilot to fly without an observer.
