Air Ambulance Helicopter Downed by Fencing (Metro Aviation Airbus BK117C2 / H145 N263MH)
On 4 July 2020 Metro Aviation air ambulance Airbus Helicopters BK117C2 / H145 N263MH was involved in an accident at Wayne County Airport (KBJJ), Wooster, Ohio. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) explain in their preliminary report that:
Surveillance video showed that after lifting off a portable dolly [at c 1357 Local Time], the helicopter…turned right and briefly hovered.
As the helicopter began to take off following the hover, it traversed a grassy area adjacent to the ramp about 10 ft above ground level (AGL), where a silt construction fence was obscured by tall grass.
As the helicopter overflew, the fence became unsecured and blew up and into the main and tail rotor system. The crew then performed a forced landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and tail rotor blades.
Metro Aviation HEMS Airbus Helicopters BK117C2 / H145 N263MH at Wayne County Airport (KBJJ), Wooster, Ohio After Hard Landing, Tangled in Silt Fencing (Credit: NTSB)
The two pilots, flight nurse and flight paramedic were uninjured.
At the time of the accident, there were no notices to airmen (NOTAMs) for the construction fence and the presence of the fence was not contained within any publications or notices available to pilots.
UPDATE 23 February 2022: Extra information is released in the NTSB Public Docket:
According to the pilots, the construction in the area of the fencing had started about 2 months prior to the accident and that coincided with the installation of the fence.
One of the pilots stated that he had inspected the fence himself and remembered the bottom being buried in the ground about 4 to 6 inches and attached to wooden stakes with staples and nails. He said, regarding the silt fence, that he “never imagined it would come out at that altitude.”
The second pilot stated:
…he did not remember seeing the construction fencing prior to the accident, but he had flown over that area many times, he just did not take notice of it as a factor. He stated that upon liftoff and forward movement, he saw it balloon a split second before it blew up into the air and became tangled in the blades. He stated that orange barriers are also located on the airport that would normally be filled with water, but they would leak and blow around, which is why they elected to fly over the grass.
UPDATE 18 March 2022: NTSB Probable Cause
The NTSB Probable Cause is a rather bland and simplistic statement of the circumstances of the accident:
The entanglement of construction fencing into the main rotor system, which necessitated a forced landing that resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter.
Operators Safety Actions
The operator stated they had done the following:
Metro Aviation HEMS Airbus Helicopters BK117C2 / H145 N263MH at Wayne County Airport (KBJJ), Wooster, Ohio After Hard Landing, Tangled in Silt Fencing (Credit: NTSB)
Safety Resources
- FOD and an AS350B3 Accident Landing on a Yacht in Bergen
- Impromptu Landing – Unseen Cable
- Pilot Goose(d) Surprised and Crashed
- Rotor Blade Tool Control FOD Incident
- Ambulance / Air Ambulance Collision
- S-92A Collision with Obstacle while Taxying
- Helideck Safety Alerts: Refuelling Hoses and Obstructions
- UPDATE 13 September 2020: Hawaiian Air Tour EC130T2 Hard Landing after Power Loss (Part 1)
- UPDATE 20 September 2020: Hanging on the Telephone… HEMS Wirestrike
- UPDATE 19 December 2020: Helicopter Destroyed in Hover Taxi Accident
- UPDATE 23 January 2021: US Air Ambulance Near Miss with Zip Wire and High ROD Impact at High Density Altitude
- UPDATE 31 January 2021: Fatal US Helicopter Air Ambulance Accident: One Engine was Failing but Serviceable Engine Shutdown
- UPDATE 13 March 2021: S-76A++ Rotor Brake Fire
- UPDATE 21 August 2021: Air Methods AS350B3 Night CFIT in Snow
- UPDATE 9 October 2021: Gazelle Caught Out Jumping a Fence
- UPDATE 30 October 2021: RLC B407 Reverses into Sister Ship at GOM Heliport
- UPDATE 23 December 2021: Air Methods AS350B3 Air Ambulance Tucson Tail Strike
- UPDATE 5 March 2022: Taxiing AW139 Blade Strike on Maintenance Stand
- UPDATE 14 August 2022: Second Time Unlucky: Fatal Greek Wirestrike High-Wire Illusion
- UPDATE 24 September 2022: Fire Extinguisher Cover Fenestron FOD
- UPDATE 4 February 2024: HEMS Air Ambulance Landing Site Slide
In 2013 NTSB issued a safety alert: Helicopter Landing Sites: Free from Debris (SA-57)
BP has shared a video on the threat of downwash (albeit with larger helicopters):
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