PHOENIX—The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking sanctions against a Colorado company stemming from a medical helicopter that crashed in 2010 in a densely populated area of Tucson, killing its three-member crew.
Alleging the company broke several federal aviation rules, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the agency wants to lodge a $50,625 civil penalty against Air Methods, the parent company of LifeNet Arizona and the helicopter’s operator.
The development comes on the heels of a report by the National Transportation Safety Board that says the July 28, 2010, crash likely was caused by a contract mechanic’s mistake and a lack of proper inspection and testing of his work.
The LifeNet helicopter left Marana and was en route to its home base in Douglas when it fell 600 feet in eight seconds, crashed into a backyard fence in Tucson and burst into flames about six minutes after leaving the ground.
Killed were pilot Alexander Kelley, 61, flight nurse Parker Summons, 41, both of Tucson, and paramedic Brenda French, 28, of Safford. No one on the ground was injured.
The results of the report, released last week, were first reported by The Arizona Daily Star.
The report says a contract mechanic with Helicopter Services of Nevada likely only finger-tightened bolts, instead of using a torque wrench, when he was putting the engine back together. Maintenance personnel did not adequately inspect his work, and an on-duty pilot who performed a post-maintenance check didn’t follow the manufacturer’s procedures, the report said.
The check was supposed to take 30 to 45 minutes, but the pilot’s check took just seven and a half minutes, the report said.
If a full check was done, the report said the problem that caused the crash likely would have been detected.
In addition, the Helicopter Services of Nevada mechanic who put the helicopter’s engine back together “was serving as both mechanic and inspector, and he inspected his own work.”
The FAA also plans to give Helicopter Services of Nevada a $25,000 civil penalty for its role in the crash.
Both Air Methods and Helicopter Services can appeal to the FAA in hopes of getting the penalties reduced or thrown out. If those appeals fail, they can appeal to an administrative law judge and finally the NTSB.
Craig Yale, Air Methods’ vice president of corporate development, said Tuesday that the company would appeal any FAA sanctions.
“We did do an inspection of the engine. They said we should have done a deeper level inspection,” said Yale, adding that such an inspection should been done by the repair station.
Helicopter Services co-owner David Lok said his company has already responded to the FAA allegations and insisted that the repairs were done to code and regulations.
Yale said LifeNet made important changes not long after the crash. Those changes include requiring the company’s staff to inspect the work of any contracted mechanics, and requiring pilots to do full-length maintenance checks.
“This (crash) was several things compounded and some very good people lost their lives,” Yale said. “We’re going to continue to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
He said that before the Tucson crash, LifeNet assumed third-party companies would double-check their own work, but that didn’t happen.
“Our lesson learned from this is double-check everything, even when the work is done by an outside contractor,” Yale said.
The NTSB report also says Kelley, who had 14,000 hours of flight experience, had no training flights for nearly a year before the crash.
Although Kelley was not required to undergo additional training during that time, the report said it “may have negatively impacted the pilot’s ability to maintain proficiency.”
“However, because the engine failed suddenly at low altitude over a congested area, more recent training may not have changed the outcome,” the report said.
The report said Kelley likely was trying to get the chopper to an open intersection about 300 feet away from the crash site, but was unable to reach it because he had to fly over a row of 40-foot power lines—a maneuver that depleted the engine and caused the helicopter’s near-vertical plummet.
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