ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 274028
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| Date: | Tuesday 11 January 2022 |
| Time: | 12:55 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 135P2+ |
| Owner/operator: | Air Methods Corporation (AMC) |
| Registration: | N531LN |
| MSN: | 0474 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Drexel Hill, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ambulance |
| Departure airport: | WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, PA (PA60) |
| Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, PA (9PN2) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On January 11, 2022, about 1255 eastern standard time, a Eurocopter EC135 P2+, N531LN (LifeNet 81), was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. The airline transport pilot was seriously injured. The two medical crewmembers and the patient were not injured. The helicopter was operated by Air Methods Corporation as a Title Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air ambulance flight.
Flight track data from the helicopter air ambulance flight indicated that, while in cruise flight at an altitude of about 1,500 ft mean sea level (msl), the helicopter departed normal cruise flight with an abrupt increase in altitude, followed by a dive. The recovered data from various sources onboard the helicopter did not contain information as to whether the helicopter rolled inverted during this altitude excursion, as recalled by the crewmembers. Surveillance video showed the helicopter in a near-vertical, nose-down, spiraling descent. The pilot arrested the rotation and recovered the helicopter from the dive but was unable to climb or hover due to insufficient engine power, thereby resulting in a hard landing to a city street and substantial damage to the helicopter. Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of malfunction that would result in an abrupt departure from cruise flight.
Because of the limited control authority of the Stability Augmentation System (SAS) actuators, it is unlikely that a malfunction of a SAS actuator would have resulted in an inflight upset before the pilot could react to the malfunction. Additionally, a malfunction of a trim actuator would not result in an inflight upset as the pilot would notice an attitude deviation before the trim actuator, whose rate of movement is limited by design, would be able to move the helicopter into an unusual attitude.
Data indicated that a main rotor system overspeed, which likely occurred during the dive maneuver, resulted in the overspeed of both engine power turbines due to the sudden reduction in load from the main rotor. As a result of the power turbine overspeed, both engine control systems, independent of each other, functioned as designed and reverted to manual mode while at a minimum fuel flow rate. Both engines continued to run at low power without automatic governing, resulting in insufficient power to continue normal flight as the engine twist grips remained in the normal fly position for the duration of the flight.
Probable Cause: An inflight attitude upset for undetermined reasons that resulted in a rotor system overspeed, a reduction of power from both engines, and a subsequent hard landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://whyy.org/articles/medical-helicopter-crashes-near-church-in-drexel-hill-delaware-county/
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2022/01/11/drexel-hill-medical-helicopter-crash-delaware-county/
https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/helicopter-crashes-in-drexel-hill-delaware-county/3103951/
https://www.newsmax.com/us/helicopter-crash-philadelphia-upper-darby-medical/2022/01/11/id/1051947/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/philadelphia-medical-helicopter-crash-injures-4-including-infant
https://cbs4local.com/news/nation-world/helicopter-crashes-in-residential-area-outside-philadelphia
https://www.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=2359102&taid=61de7c9ddf9b5d00016f3e60
https://www.airmethods.com/blog/air-methods-statement-regarding-an-accident-of-the-air-methods-lifenet-aircraft-in-drexel-hill-pennsylvania/
https://www.fox29.com/news/helicopter-pilot-in-drexel-hill-crash-identified-still-recovering-from-injuries
https://aerossurance.com/helicopters/air-ambulance-ec135-loss-of-control-main-rotor-engine-overspeeds/
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104517
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=531LN
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N531LN/history/20220111/1706Z/8PN0/L%2039.94918%20-75.32476
https://www.airmethods.com/air-medical/program/lifenet-8-1-md/
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/2/89288_1234795413.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
A medical helicopter crashed in a residential area of suburban Philadelphia.
— CBS4Local (@CBS4Local) January 11, 2022
Story: https://t.co/mvfHfZzihe pic.twitter.com/71pCsoXAo5
A medical helicopter flying from Maryland to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (US State) crashed in the suburb of Drexel Hill, Delaware County, #Pennsylvania authorities said. All four passengers, including an infant, suffered non-life threatening injuries. pic.twitter.com/7Gd7dFjvh2
— Subodh Kumar (@kumarsubodh_) January 11, 2022
A medical helicopter crashed Tuesday in a residential area of suburban Philadelphia, with four people on board including an infant all expected to survive, authorities said.
— Newsmax (@newsmax) January 11, 2022
https://t.co/amu2FM6HnA
BREAKING 🚨 Philadelphia medical helicopter crashes with 4 onboard, including infant. pic.twitter.com/F6zokfmIU7
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) January 11, 2022
⚠️🇺🇸#DEVELOPING: Helicopter crash reported at church near Philadelphia#DarbyTownship l #PA
— Intel Point ALERT (@IntelPointAlert) January 11, 2022
A helicopter carrying four passengers, including a toddler, has crashed feet away from a church. All passengers have emerged from the wreckage.
A large emergency response is now on scene. pic.twitter.com/H0EpV4Eq05
🚨#BREAKING: Medical Helicopter has crashed
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 11, 2022
📌#Philadelphia | #PA
A Pennstar Medical Helicopter has crashed near a church in Upper Darby PA about 10 minute flight to the city of Philadelphia as multiple emergency crews are on sense.Right now this is still a developing story. pic.twitter.com/cpCj8pe62J
A medical helicopter that took off from Maryland, carrying a baby and three other people, crashed outside Philadelphia >> https://t.co/6sNcfuNqDC pic.twitter.com/VFQSzAmImh
— WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore (@wbaltv11) January 11, 2022
#NTSB report just out: An inflight upset, consistent with a SAS/AP CUT, resulted in a rotor overspeed, and reduction of power from both engines https://t.co/UEi7jwcCcU #helicopter #airambulance #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/bLKYXbtAN8
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) January 6, 2024
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jan-2022 19:15 | gerard57 | Added |
| 11-Jan-2022 19:22 | gerard57 | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Embed code] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:08 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:09 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:13 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:16 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:31 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Category] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:32 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:35 | Captain Adam | Updated [Registration, Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:54 | RobertMB | Updated [Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 20:57 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 21:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 21:49 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 11-Jan-2022 21:50 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 07:37 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 08:04 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 08:06 | Aerossurance | Updated [Category] |
| 12-Jan-2022 16:17 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 12-Jan-2022 18:16 | Captain Adam | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 18:55 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 18:58 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
| 12-Jan-2022 19:18 | johnwg | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 20:17 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Jan-2022 20:18 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2022 08:03 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2022 08:09 | Aerossurance | Updated [Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2022 08:11 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 13-Jan-2022 08:12 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location] |
| 13-Jan-2022 10:55 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative] |
| 13-Jan-2022 14:05 | johnwg | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Jan-2022 13:07 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Embed code] |
| 15-Jan-2022 04:45 | johnwg | Updated [Operator] |
| 22-Jan-2022 01:21 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 25-Jan-2022 22:29 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Jan-2024 20:27 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, Photo] |
| 06-Jan-2024 15:43 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Narrative, Category] |
| 06-Jan-2024 16:56 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source] |
| 06-Jan-2024 17:17 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
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