Medevac Helicopter Crashed After Impacting Radio Antenna Tower

Air Angels, Inc., a private air and ground ambulance services provider based in Bolingbrook, IL announced last week it will cease operations effective immediately.

In a press release, Jim Adams, CEO of Air Angels, stated, "Since the purchase of Air Angels in 2007, we have attempted to build a viable Midwest base of expansion and operation. Recent and ongoing events lead us to believe that our venture in Illinois is no longer viable.

"A great deal of effort, exploration and research has gone into making the difficult decision to close Air Angels. It is especially painful to make a business decision that requires not only the loss of employment of many people, but a reduction in valuable life-saving services to their community, as well."

Adams continued, "We would like to sincerely thank our employees, our regional hospital and emergency medical services partners, and the communities we have served for their support in our efforts. We have delivered 60-day termination notices to all Air Angels employees. Operations are completely suspended immediately in both our ground ambulance and air (helicopter) units."

Representatives of Air Angels will be contacting regional hospitals, emergency medical services agencies, and other transport providers in order to assure that both ground and air transportation for critically ill and injured patients will be uninterrupted.

As ANN reported, the pilot, a paramedic, a flight nurse, and a one-year-old patient were lost the night of October 15, 2008, when their Bell 222 medevac helicopter went down in Aurora, IL. The helicopter was transporting an infant who suffered from frequent seizures from the Valley West Hospital Heliport (0LL7) in Sandwich, IL to Children's Memorial Hospital Heliport (40IS) in Chicago when it crashed in a field after impacting a radio antenna tower.

The National Transportation Safety Board factual report reveals the helicopter was enroute when it struck the 734-foot radio tower about 50 feet from its top, just minutes before midnight. The tower had two sets of strobe lights installed, reportedly functioning normally the night of the crash: one at the top, and another at about two-thirds of the height of the tower.

A subsequent lawsuit filed against Air Angels, parent company Reach Medical Holdings, and the deceased pilot's estate by the infant's parents is critical of the company for not installing terrain and obstacle depicting software in the helicopter's Garmin GNS 430, claiming that the crash could have been avoided had the software been utilized.

Although compliance is not yet mandatory, on February 7, 2006, the NTSB recommended that all EMS operators be required to install terrain awareness warning systems (TAWS) on all their aircraft and to provide flight crews with adequate training for its use.

Air Angels, Inc. was founded in 1998 as one of the Midwest's only full-service air and ground critical care transportation providers. Air Angels pilots, nurses and paramedics cared for and successfully transported thousands of patients to regional healthcare facilities and emergency agencies throughout Illinois, Indiana and surrounding states.

FMI: www.airangels.com, Read the NTSB narrative