By Jamie Thompson
EMS1 Senior Editor
WASHINGTON — The medical helicopter that crashed in poor weather in South Carolina last month was not approved for operations in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), according to a preliminary report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The helicopter also lacked a night vision imaging system, an autopilot, and a terrain avoidance warning system, said the report. All three crew members died in the late-night crash Sept. 25 in Georgetown County, which happened when the pilot was trying to land after encountering inclement weather.
The final report detailing the cause of the crash will be available sometime next year, according to NTSB spokesperson Terry Williams.
All the major components of the helicopter were accounted for at the scene, according to the preliminary report. Examination of the main wreckage revealed no evidence of any preimpact failures or malfunctions of the engine, drivetrain, main rotor, tail rotor, or structure of the helicopter. Additionally, there was no indication of an in-flight fire.
After taking off in clear weather, the report said the helicopter later entered an area of convective activity and precipitation. Weather reports for the area immediately surrounding the accident site were not available, as the automated weather observation station at Georgetown County Airport was out of service. The unit has since been repaired, according to The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, Fla.
Witnesses who observed the helicopter just prior to the accident described its flight path as paralleling US Route 17, in the direction of the airport, in moderate to heavy rain, the report said. Prior to the crash, the Federal Aviation Administration said the pilot last radioed air traffic control at 11:05 p.m., saying the crew was about four miles from an airport near Charleston and had it in sight. It crashed about 25 minutes later.
At the time of the most recent 500-hour inspection on Sept. 17, the helicopter, which was manufactured in 2000 by Eurocopter, had accrued 2967 total hours of operation, it added.
According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the pilot, Patrick Walters, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine-land, airplane-multiengine-land, rotorcraft-helicopter, and instrument airplane and helicopter. He did not meet instrument currency requirements as would be required by federal aviation regulations for flight conducted in IMC.
Flight nurse Diana Conner paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove also died. No patients were on board.
At the end of August, the NTSB approved recommendations for better training and sophisticated safety equipment for emergency helicopter operators. The recommendations urge the Federal Aviation Administration to, among other things, require medical helicopter operators to install autopilot systems, terrain awareness monitoring, night-vision systems and flight data recorders.