Pilot Had Survived Another Accident In 2002
Coast Guard rescue crews searching the waters off the coast near
Seattle, WA have located debris from a Agusta A109/Mk II medevac
copter (file photo of type, below) that went down
Thursday night as it was returning to base after dropping off a
passenger at a nearby hospital.
The three crew members onboard the copter are believed dead,
according to media reports, including the pilot who barely survived
another helicopter accident three years ago.
No one saw the AirLift Northwest helicopter go down at
approximately 9:30 pm Thursday, although one witness called 911 to
report a helicopter fly over near the accident site. The witness
said "shortly after that [the helicopter] sounded 'funny' and then
they heard an explosion," said Edmonds, WA police Sgt. Jeff Jones
told reporters.
The pilot, 59-year-old Steve Smith, did not make a distress call
before the helicopter dropped off of radar. A representative for
AirLift Northwest stated Smith had last contacted the company
dispatcher at 9:14 pm Thursday evening, approximately ten minutes
before the helicopter went down.
Also onboard "Airlift 4" were flight nurses Erin Reed, 48, and
Lois Suzuki, 47. All three were employed with AirLift Northwest,
and were returning to Arlington Airport after dropping off a
patient at a local hospital.
According to the NTSB,
Thursday's accident was the third involving an AirLift Northwest
A109/Mk II since 1995. A September 11, 1995 accident also claimed
the life of a pilot and two nurses when their helicopter went down
near the site of Thursday's accident. The NTSB states the pilot in
that accident failed to maintain sufficient altitude over the
water.
Smith barely survived a 2002 crash, when the helicopter he was
flying alone experienced engine failure. He suffered serious
injuries in that accident, including a torn cardial artery, a
broken back and fractured ribs.
David Baker, acting medical director for emergency services at
Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, said everyone at the hospital
respected the work the medevac paramedics performed. "In some ways,
flight nurses have to have the skills of a paramedic, the knowledge
of a critical care nurse and the judgment of an emergency room
physician," he said at a news conference.
Investigators asked anyone who may find wreckage from the
Thursday accident washed up on the shore to contact local
authorities immediately -- and not to jump to any conclusions.
"I'm not going to comment on what the cause might or might not
be," said NTSB Investigator Georgia Struhsaker. "It's just way too
early for that. I know people always want to ask, but we're just
getting started with the investigation."