Medical Helicopter Down During Post-Maintenance Flight, Student Killed During Training

Two employees of CareFlight, a Grand Prairie, TX-based medical air services company, were killed Wednesday when the Bell 222U helicopter they were flying reportedly lost its main rotor during a post-maintenance flight. The aircraft went down near Midlothian, TX about 1415 local time.

Bell 222U File Photo

Both the pilot and a mechanic were fatally injured in the crash, which "was pretty spontaneous," according to Midlothian Deputy Fire Chief Dale McCaskill. No one on the ground was injured, and no Mayday call was received from the helicopter before it went down.

The Bell 222U is described (basically) as a Bell 222 with skids in place of the aircraft's normal retractable landing gear. The mod allows for increased fuel capacity.

Midlothian is south of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. The Dallas Morning News reports that the main rotor was found about 100 yards from the main wreckage, and that the tail section of the helicopter with the tail rotor still attached was located about 250 yards away in some trees. It's not clear which part of the aircraft came off first or if the accident was the result of mast-bumping or a rotor/boom strike. The impact ignited a brush fire in rural Ellis County, TX. The accident scene is an industrial area near two abandoned and gutted buildings which had once housed a tire refurbishment company.

CareFlight told the local Dallas NBC television affiliate that the helicopter had been purchased in the last six months, and had never been used to transport a patient.

No cause has been determined for the accident. The FAA and NTSB are on site for the investigation.

Further west, a Robinson R22 belonging to Inland Helicopters of Spokane, WA went down after an apparent tail boom strike/failure east of Felts Field in Washington State, fatally injuring a student pilot.

Robinson R22 File Photo

Witness Stacia Gillaspy told KXLY-TV the machine was spinning as it descended. Another, Tom Sergeant, said "Actually I saw parts of the blade come apart and fall out of the sky is basically what happened...Then it turned like this and just went straight down. There was a boom right after that."

Would-be rescuers said the larger portion of the helicopter landed in the back yard of a home, but there was no pulse when they reached the student pilot, who was alone in the aircraft. The tailboom was found in another yard, across the street and three lots away. There were no injuries on the ground.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov,www.careflight.org