Life Flight Crash Investigation Delayed By Snow

Scott Neal, the pilot of a Lifeguard helicopter operated under the auspices of the University of New Mexico Hospitals, survived a crash in northern New Mexico Saturday night, shaken up but not seriously hurt.

After the crash, Neal, who is in his late thirties, was able to communicate his location to the authorities, and walked out to a nearby road, where he was met by New Mexico state police. They took him to a Taos hospital for a checkup, and he was soon released after unspecified "minor injuries" were treated

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No one else was aboard the Eurocopter AS350-B3 A-Star helicopter, and the condition of the helicopter was not known at press time. The file photo seen here shows one of the UNM fleet. Three A-Stars are in use, one in Taos, one in Grants, and one in Albequerque.

The FAA is investigating the accident. So far, heavy snows have prevented investigators from reaching the crash site.

UNM's lifeguard fleet is managed by PHI. The hospital's website notes that its flight crew members have a total of 557 years of experience, and that's 16 years per individual on average.

Life flight operations are one of the riskiest ops in general aviation, despite the extreme professionalism of most operators, just because of the many inherent risk factors: low-visibility operations, unprepared landing zones, and life-in-the-balance pressure. Many of the crews have internalized the old Coast Guard life saving code: "You have to go out, but you don't have to come back."

It was always the greatest dream of Igor Sikorsky that his invention would be used for saving lives, and he always thrilled to news of helicopters saving lives, and kept a scrapbook of such rescues all his life. Our congratulations to Neal, on living to save lives again.

FMI: www.hsc.unm.edu/lifeguard