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Tag: fatality

NTSB releases causes of New Mexico police helicopter crash, and makes recommendations

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,
New Mexico helicopter crash
The crash site of the Agusta S.p.A. A-109E helicopter. NTSB photo.

Today the National Transportation Safety Board released a report on the crash of a police helicopter in New Mexico in 2009 that killed two people (map). There may be some factors about the crash that are familiar to wildland firefighters and fire aviation crews.

Here is a brief summary of two of the causes of the crash, as determined by the NTSB:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today determined that a New Mexico State Police (NMSP) helicopter pilot’s decision to take off from a remote landing site, without conducting a thorough assessment of the weather and night time conditions, was the primary cause of the 2009 fatal crash. Contributing to the accident was an organizational culture within the New Mexico State Police that emphasized mission completion over safety, as well pilot fatigue, stress, and the pilot’s self-induced pressure to complete the rescue mission.

Another aspect of the crash, not covered in detail by the NTSB report, is the lost hiker who had just been found and picked up by the helicopter. There were many technological glitches related to the 911 call the hiker, Megumi Yamamoto, made that hampered her timely rescue. Unfortunately she was killed in the crash, along with the pilot, Andy Tingwall. The spotter, although injured, walked until he found rescuers and was then hoisted in a basket below a helicopter before being flown to a hospital.

Here are some excerpts from the NTSB report. Their site has more details, including conclusions and recommendations.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

On June 9, 2009, about 2135 mountain daylight time, an Agusta S.p.A. A-109E helicopter, N606SP, impacted terrain following visual flight rules flight into instrument meteorological conditions near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and one passenger were fatally injured; a highway patrol officer who was acting as a spotter during the accident flight was seriously injured. The entire aircraft was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety and operated by the New Mexico State Police (NMSP) on a public search and rescue mission under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. The helicopter departed its home base at Santa Fe Municipal Airport, Santa Fe, New Mexico, about 1850 in visual meteorological conditions; instrument meteorological conditions prevailed when the helicopter departed the remote landing site about 2132.

PROBABLE CAUSE

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the pilot’s decision to take off from a remote, mountainous landing site in dark (moonless) night, windy, instrument meteorological conditions. Contributing to the accident were an organizational culture that prioritized mission execution over aviation safety and the pilot’s fatigue, self-imposed pressure to conduct the flight, and situational stress. Also contributing to the accident were deficiencies in the NMSP aviation section’s safety-related policies, including lack of a requirement for a risk assessment at any point during the mission; inadequate pilot staffing; lack of an effective fatigue management program for pilots; and inadequate procedures and equipment to ensure effective communication between airborne and ground personnel during search and rescue missions.

Firefighting helicopter crash in Slave Lake, one fatality

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on Firefighting helicopter crash in Slave Lake, one fatality

Slave Lake helicopter crash
A firefighting helicopter has crashed in Lesser Slave Lake. Photo Credit: Supplied, Global News

A helicopter fighting a wildfire crashed into Lesser Slave Lake about 24 kilometeres northwest of the town of Slave Lake, Alberta, killing the pilot who was the only person on board. The Bell 212 helicopter, using a water bucket, was dipping out of the lake and ended up in about four feet of water 30 meters offshore just after 3 p.m. MT on Friday, May 21.

Here is an excerpt from CTV:

…[The] RCMP said fire officials immediately extricated the one male pilot from the helicopter. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene. He was the only one on board.

“We got a call to take my boat, which was fortunately parked right on the shore of the lake and get over to help recover it,” said eyewitness Troy Foster.

Another eyewitness reports he saw the chopper go down.

“I was just walking to the neighbour’s property and they’d been bucketing all day and a chopper came over and he went to go into a hover and he tipped right sideways,” said Lorne Lukan. “In seconds he went over, went into a hover and tipped right sideways and went straight down.”

Police say rescue attempts resulted in a number of emergency workers receiving hypothermia.

“They were treated for mild hypothermia,” said incident commander Len Maccharles. “There were 12 firefighters in the water,” he added.

“My heart goes out to the family of this helicopter pilot,” said Premier Ed Stelmach. “Today’s tragic news drives home the reality that the brave men and women fighting the fires in Alberta put their lives on the line every day to keep Albertans and our communities safe.”

The Transportation Safety Board says the chopper was owned by Campbell Helicopters based out of Abbotsford, B.C.

The chopper was assisting with fire control in the area. The province says the helicopter and pilot were under contract to Sustainable Resource Development.

Our sincere condolences to the family and coworkers.

Update: the pilot has been identified.

Firefighter fatality in Quebec

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

The International Association of Wildland Fire has distributed information about the May 10 line of duty death of a firefighter on a wildfire in Quebec, Canada:

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  • Name: Sylvain Perron
  • Rank: Firefighter
  • Age: 33
  • Gender: Male
  • Years of Service: 6 years
  • Date of Incident: 10 May 2011
  • Time of Incident: late afternoon
  • Date of Death: 10 May 2011
  • Fire Department: Société de protection des foréets contre le feu (Quebec Provincial Forest Fire Control Agency)
  • Fire Department Address: 1230 Rte. De L’aeroport, Roberval, QC G8H 2M9 Canada

The Société de protection des foréets contre le feu is a public-private partnership, non-profit company in collaboration with Government of Quebec responsible for prevention, detection and suppression of forest fires. It is operated by a board of directors with representatives of the forest industry, private woodlot owners and the Government of Quebec. Employees are strategically placed throughout Quebec as well as at four main bases at Baie-Comeau, Roberval, Maniwaki and Val – d’Or and at the headquarters office in Quebec City. The organization has reportedly more than 400 municipal firefighters trained in wildland firefighting and they also rely on causal firefighters and forestry workers.

Incident Description: Firefighter Perron collapsed while fighting a forest fire near the community of Rouyn-Noranda in the Cléricy sector in northwestern Quebec, Canada. Attempts were made to resuscitate him by other firefighters present until paramedics arrived. He was taken to the hospital ER in Rouyn-Noranda where he was pronounced dead. The incident is being investigated by inspectors from from the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) accompanied by Société de protection des foréets contre le feu (SOPFEU) representatives. Firefighter Perron was based at the Matagami firebase. The Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation is listing the death as cardiac arrest while battling the fire.

Incident Location: Near the community of Rouyn-Noranda in the Cléricy sector

Details emerge about fatal accident at Nebraska controlled burn

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 3 Comments on Details emerge about fatal accident at Nebraska controlled burn

UPDATE: January 8, 2012

It was pointed out to us that in addition to Theresa Schnoor who died soon after the April 28, 2011 controlled burn, the two people that were injured also passed away later. Further research found that Robert Seybold, 40, died May 18, 2011, and 37-year-old Anthony Meguire died at a burn center in Lincoln, Nebraska September 18, 2011. More details are HERE.

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On May 4, 2011, Wildfire Today covered the tragic story of the fatality and two injuries that occurred on a controlled burn in southwest Nebraska on April 28, 2011. Yesterday the Omaha World-Herald published an in-depth article about the incident and the difficulty of small volunteer fire departments being present at every controlled burn conducted by a private land owner. Here is an excerpt from the article:

Two weeks ago, shifting winds whipped a grassland fire over a firebreak in southwest Nebraska, killing a 46-year-old woman and critically burning two men.

Theresa Schnoor
Theresa Schnoor, Omaha World-Herald

The tragedy involved a growing fraternity of Iowa and Nebraska landowners and others using fire to rid grazing land of unwanted trees and to reinvigorate grassland and wildlife habitat.

The incident was part of a spring run of fires in Nebraska’s dry southwest that exposed holes in the thin line of volunteers who fight wildfires — and then chase after the rare prescribed burn that escapes its handlers.

Lack of manpower and money were the primary reasons no trained firefighters were on hand April 28 when flames engulfed 46-year-old Theresa Schnoor of Trenton, Neb. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the death.

Some rural fire departments send crews to stand by at prescribed burns — commonly referred to as controlled burns — as part of their training, but neither Nebraska nor Iowa requires their presence.

State Sen. Annette Dubas of Fullerton held hearings on the issue of prescribed burns last year and found no need to have volunteer firefighters at every event, so long as the procedures set in state law are followed.

“It was very clear to us that volunteer firefighters are already overextended, and imposing more training or regulation on them could be a disincentive to volunteering,” said Joselyn Luedtke, an aide to Dubas. “The problem didn’t seem to be that there was a need for more firefighters on the ground, but a need for landowners to develop and follow prescribed burn plans.”

There were no indications that the Trenton-area burn would turn tragic, said former State Sen. Tom Baker, who watched the operation start and later was the first emergency medical technician on the scene.

One person killed, two injured on controlled burn in Nebraska

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

One person was killed and two others were critically burned while working on a controlled burn near Trenton, Nebraska (map) on April 28. A spokesman for the State Fire Marshall, Ray Nance, said none of the three were firefighters, but were “residents who fell victim to the fire” while they were clearing cattle grazing land. Nance said winds sent the fire out of control.

Here is more information from the McCook Daily Gazette, dated April 29, 2011:

TRENTON, Nebraska — A controlled burn on a rural farm northwest of Trenton, Nebraska, went horribly wrong late Thursday afternoon, resulting in the death of one and severe burn injuries to two others.

Hitchcock County Sheriff D. Bryan Leggott reported this morning that Theresa L. Borges Schnoor, 46 years old, of Trenton died at the fire scene eight miles northwest of Trenton.

Two Trenton men, 40-year-old Robert A. Seybold and 36-year-old Anthony P. Meguire were critically burned while assisting with the prescribed burn, and were transported to Community Hospital of McCook by Trenton ambulance. They were then flown to the Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center Burn Center in Lincoln.

This morning, both Seybold and Meguire were listed in critical condition.

Leggott said his office and the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s office are conducting the investigation.

We offer our sincere condolences to the families and co-workers.

Texas firefighter dies from line of duty wildland fire burns

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 2 Comments on Texas firefighter dies from line of duty wildland fire burns

Firefigher Close Calls is reporting a line of duty death on a wildland fire:

We regret to advise you that the Cactus (Texas) Firefighter who suffered 3rd degree burns a week ago last Saturday at a huge grassfire has died in the Line of Duty. FF Elias Jaquez suffered burns to 60% of his body in that fire. FF Jaquez, 49, a husband and father of four daughters, has been a Volunteer Firefighter at the fire for slightly less than two years.

As you will recall, FF Jaquez, and 3 other Firefighters were injured after a Dumas and Cactus fire apparatus became stuck in the rough terrain. The Cactus crew was going on to de-flank the fire, the Dumas truck got stuck in the sand and the Cactus fire crew came up beside them grab the other FF’s, and then they got stuck. The heroic attempts took FF Jaquez’s life. As always, our most sincere condolences to all those affected, especially the family of FF Elias Jaquez.

Our thoughts are with Mr. Jaquez’s family and co-workers.

UPDATE at 12:25 a.m. MT, April 20, 2011:

The International Association of Wildland Fire distributed the following information today via FireNet:

Firefighter Jaquez and three other firefighters were injured eleven days ago when a fire truck from the Dumas (Texas) Fire Department (mostly volunteer) became stuck in sandy rough terrain while suppressing wildland fire in grassland. The Cactus fire crew came up beside the Dumas fire truck to extricate the Dumas crew when the Cactus Volunteer Fire Department truck also became stuck in the sand. The crews were entrapped in the fire and Firefighter Jaquez suffered 3rd degree burns over 60% of his body and was taken to the University Medical Center, Lubbock Burn Center for treatment where he remained until succumbing to his injuries.

Unofficial news reports indicate that Firefighter Jaquez may have tripped over a down electrical line before being entrapped, and that he had on fire protective pants but not a protective shirt during the incident.