Pilot Was President of SK Jets and A Highly-Experienced Flyer

News/Analysis By Jim Campbell, ANN Editor-In-Chief, Comm. Heli Pilot 

Few real details are emerging in the tragic Monday accident that claimed the lives of three people and may yet still claim a fourth... the patient in need of a heart transplant who didn't get the heart in time for its transplantation.

The pilot was SK Jets President, Hoke Smith (68), described as a "highly decorated Vietnam Pilot with commendations that include The Bronze Star, The Purple Heart, and The Distinguished Flying Cross." Smith founded SK in 1997 as the sole owner and operator of one helicopter, expanding the business to seven jets, two helicopters, and 40 employees.

The accident aircraft, a 1979 Bell 206BIII, left early Monday morning on a heart harvesting run from Jacksonville' Mayo Clinic to Gainesville's Shands Hospital at the University of Florida. The pre-dawn flight carried Cardiac Surgeon Dr. Luis Bonilla and procurement technician David Hines of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, also a veteran of the Air National Guard.

The impact sight is a very short distance from ANN's HQ in Green Cove Springs and we found something amiss early Monday when Sheriff's officers arrived at the field looking for information as to the whereabouts of the (then) overdue helicopter. A short time later, a Law Enforcement helo discovered the fire surrounding the crash site and ID'ed the impact zone... some 6 hours after the aircraft went down. No indication as to the cause is currently evident though the scene shows the helicopter's main rotor having made contact with a series of trees on its way down into a heavily forested area used as a hunting club. Weather in area that morning reported lowered visibility and some fog. SK Jets has a pretty solid rep in this area, and their maintenance is said to be top-notch. A recent advertisement, featuring this helicopter for sale (N5016M), indicated that at that time, the total time on the aircraft was in excess of 11,000 hours.

The tragedy has had quite an impact locally. The heart that was to have been harvested was not available in sufficient time to be usable of the intended transplant and the intended recipient has had to be placed back on a transplant waiting list... and there is the possibility that another heart suitable for the transplant may not be found in time for that patient to survive their current cardiac issues.

John Noseworthy, Mayo Clinic president and chief executive officer, is quoted via a prepared statement as stating, "As we mourn this tragic event, we will remember the selfless and intense dedication they brought to making a difference in the lives of our patients. We recognize the commitment transplant teams make every day in helping patients at Mayo Clinic and beyond. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families."

A statement issued by SK Jets said, simply, “The focus of our efforts at this time is to attend to the needs of our passengers, crew and their families and work with the NTSB and local public safety officials to determine the cause and extent of the accident.”

Maj. Gen. Joseph Martin, Air National Guard Assistant to the USAF Surgeon General, and former State Air Surgeon for the Florida Air National Guard said that, “We mourn the tragic loss of David Hines. This tragedy emphasizes the dedication of those who risk their lives in order to give life to others. I was always impressed with David’s skill and dedication, as we worked together both in military and civilian careers. We extend our deepest sympathies to each of their families.”

Unfortunately, the AP report (distributed by a number of media sources) chose to quote a well-known aviation attorney as a "helicopter safety expert" when in fact, Gary Robb is a pretty active aviation litigator who has won some punishing verdicts against helicopter operators and manufacturers. We're not sure this guy has ever 'pulled pitch' on a Bell 206 of any kind, but he opined that the Bell 206 BIII (powered by the Allison 250) was prone to engine failure, cramped, possibly out of CG on this particular flight, and that the engine the aircraft utilized was now "discontinued" -- apparently seeking to suggest the possibility of an engine shutdown or failure -- an extremely rare occurence in my direct experience (and as borne out by the stats) with this series of helicopter and engine. A number of articles quote Robb as stating that, "We've seen a number of instances where that engine simply failed..."

The facts are not quite that simple... the reason that the Allison 250 C20J has been 'discontinued' is that new models have superseded it... and in all its many variants, the engine piled up a pretty solid rep (via a staggering number of configurations and installations)... as did the entire Bell 206 series... possibly one of the safest helicopters, statistically speaking, in the world. Quite a few readers who commented on the published stories took offense at Robb's imprimatur as a helicopter safety expert and scolded various outlets for quoting a person whose career has been built on finding companies and persons to blame (and pay for) for such tragedies. Hereabouts (on our local airports); Robb's remarks were met with scorn, disbelief and derision by a number of folks with actual (and in some cases, considerable) helicopter experience. ANN finds Robb's remarks (in our opinion) out of place, self-serving, and incredibly premature for an accident for which there are few facts to support any guess work involving engine failure, CG problems, and the like. We agree with those comments made that suggested that quoting Robb in the accident-related articles seemed like a poor choice.

IDENTIFICATION
 Regis#: 5016M Make/Model: B206 Description: BELL 206B HELICOPTER
 Date: 12/26/2011 Time: 1053
 Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
 Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
 City: FLORAHOME State: FL Country: US

DESCRIPTION
N5016M BELL 206M ROTORCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE 3 PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURED, ALERT NOTICE ISSUED AND WRECKAGE LOCATED NEAR FLORAHOME, FL

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 3
 # Crew: 3 Fat: 3 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
 # Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
OTHER DATA
 Activity: Air Ambulance Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
 FAA FSDO: ORLANDO, FL (SO15) Entry date: 12/27/2011

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.sk-jets.com