Three Were Fatally Injured When Helicopter Went Down In Northern Iowa

The parties involved in a lawsuit stemming from the crash of a medical helicopter in Iowa in 2013 have settled before the case went to trial.

The accident occurred January 2, 2013. The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the accident was the pilot’s inadvertent encounter with localized icing conditions and his subsequent in-flight loss of helicopter control. The Bell 407 went down on a positioning flight with no patient on board. The weather was misty, and icy roads and freezing precipitation had been noted.

NTSB reports are not admissible as evidence in court.

Television station KIMT report that the suit had been brought by the family of Shelly Lair-Langenbau, the flight nurse on board the aircraft. Her family had named Texas-based Med-Trans corporation, the operator of the aircraft, saying the company encouraged a "go at any cost" philosophy. It also alleged that the company knew the aircraft was unsafe to fly in icing conditions.

Details of the settlement were not revealed, but the case has been removed from the court calendar. The trial had been scheduled to begin on June 6, according to the station.

(Image from file. Not accident aircraft)

FMI: NTSB Probable Cause Report