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Editor: James T. Crouse
Profession: Aviation Accident Attorney

Category: Helicopter Crashes

A University of Wisconsin Hospital Med Flight crashed Saturday night after successfully transporting a patient to a LaCrosse Medical Center. The new American Eurocopter EC12 took off from LaCrosse at 10:30pm and there were no further communications from the crew.

Mark Hanson, the Med Flight director stated the pilot was flying visually - he wasn't sure why the pilot was not using his instruments. Mike Allen, senior vice president of hospital - based medical services for the Denver-based Air Methods, which leases the aircraft to the hospital said, it is "very common and acceptable" for pilots to use a visual flight plan. In this case, however, neither gentlemen knew how familiar the pilot was with flying in the LaCrosse area. Weather does not seen to have been a factor in the crash itself but rain and deteriorating conditions did limit the rescue search to the ground only. There were no witnesses to the crash.

The American Euorcopter EC12 twin-engine helicopter was leased from Air Methods beginning in August. Air Methods has about 300 choppers being used in 42 states and has not had a helicopter crash ending in death since December, 2006 - that crash killed the pilot and two crew members. There are more than 600 helicopters of this model flying today with no reported mechanical problems and the UW hospital aircraft are checked daily.

Killed in the crash was the doctor, nurse and the pilot - the families have been notified, but the names have not been released.

An air flight program has been a part of the university hospital system since 1985 with 22 nurses and 10 doctors working in the program with an average of about 3 flights a day. This was the first crash.

UW Hospital has grounded its second helicopter until the cause of this crash in known.