One Dead, Two Injured
Investigators in Salt Lake City (UT) are beginning
the search for clues into the fatal crash of an Agusta K-2 medical
helicopter Saturday. The pilot of the aircraft was killed, a flight
nurse and paramedic injured, when witnesses say the K-2 suddenly
plunged to the ground from an altitude of approximately 600
feet.
Last Mission Of Mercy
The helicopter had just rescued a 20-year old
female hiker who had suffered heat exhaustion while climbing Mt.
Olympus. The patient was delivered to Salt Lake's LDS hospital. The
aircraft took off from the medical center's helipad, climbed to
approximately 600 feet and then suddenly dropped to the ground in
the foothills near Salt Lake.
"It's devastating," said Jess Gomez, spokesman for LDS Hospital,
which operates the Life Flight service. "We all know each other up
here. It's a tightknit family. It's a tragic night."
None of the names of those aboard the K-2 have been released.
The flight nurse was expected to be released from the hospital
Sunday, while the paramedic was listed in stable condition and was
being held for observation.
That they survived, Gomez said in an interview with the Salt
Lake Tribune, "is pretty miraculous, considering the crash
scene."
Search For Clues
Firefighters and recovery workers searched the foothills late
into the night after the 8:15 p.m. MDT accident. The weather at the
time of the crash was reported clear and, officials tell the
Tribune, is not considered to have been a factor. Did a mechanical
problem develop as the K-2 took off from LDS Medical Center? "There
is no indication," said Gomez.
However, one witness told the Tribune that the aircraft
appeared to lose a rotor blade just as it left the ground. "The
blade just went out and it [the helicopter] fishtailed and it just
went straight down," said Sandy resident Alice Menlove. "It just
lost all of its oomph."
Investigators from the FAA and NTSB were expected at the crash
site on Sunday.
The pilot received high praise from hospital and recovery
workers for his efforts to avoid casualties on the ground as the
Agusta helicopter went down. "It's a credit to the pilot who
navigated the helicopter away from the roadway and from the
houses," Gomez said. "He really made an effort to save the other
passengers. Every day, they go up and put their life on the line,"
Gomez said. "People all over the state owe their lives to this
dedicated community. We are just heartbroken by this."
Lifeflight Grounded
It was the third time in five years that a medical helicopter
crashed in Salt Lake - the second time since January, when a pilot
and paramedic were killed. LDS Lifeflight has now voluntarily
grounded its remaining aircraft pending the results of an
investigation into Saturday night's crash. Another medical flight
service, AirMed, will fill in for Lifeflight until the
investigation is complete.