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.