Pilot killed in helicopter crash

ABC7 Chicago ^ | 1-29-03 | Cheryl Burton

[petuniasevan]

Pilot killed in helicopter crash

By Cheryl Burton

January 29, 2003 (West Chicago) — The final pieces of debris from a fatal helicopter crash have been moved inside the DuPage Airport hangar. The pilot-who was killed-had just taken off from the West Chicago airport.

Michael Russell, 52, worked for the Air Angels Medivac Service affiliated with Good Samartan Hospital in Downers Grove. He was alone in the Augusta A109C, which can hold a patient, nurse, paramedic and pilot.

The debris will be reconstructed to help investigators figure out what caused the crash. A team of investigators were brought to the airport, including representatives from NTSB, the engine manufacturing company, and the maker of the plane.

According to the NTSB, this particular helicopter was certified back in 1989 and according to air traffic controllers at the DuPage County Airport, there were no reports from the pilot last night that there was a problem. In fact, another pilot had just used the plane right before the crash.

According to a witness, around 9:00 last night, an Air Angels EMS helicopter had just left the helipad when the aircraft began bouncing before it went down.

"There were things burning all over the place and the only thing I could really recognize was a tire and something from the undercarriage from whatever crashed there. I didn't know if it was a plane or a helicopter," said Tim Sniezek, witness.

Michael Russell, 52, was killed in the crash. His records indicate that he has flown 12,000 civilian flight hours. Investigators say another pilot had just exited the aircraft with a paramedic and a nurse and that's when Russell boarded the helicopter at the Air Angels base and refueled near the tower. And that was the last contact air traffic control had with the pilot.

"The aircraft landed with no anomalies, took on fuel with no anomalies and departed with no anomalies reported by the pilot, said Todd Fox, Transportation Safety Board.

Fox says visibility at the time of the crash was four miles, and there were scattered clouds. Weather is not being ruled out.

Russell's colleagues insist that he was an experienced pilot. Russell's family-a wife and two children-live in Georgia but his shift requires him to be on call every other week in Chicago.

"Like so many here, Mike did what he loved doing in life. Making a difference, giving, not taking. And if that be the memory, proud to have had him as an employee," said George Roe, Air Angels.

According to NTSB investigators, they are looking into the voice communication to see if there was any type of distress call between the pilot and the air traffic controllers. On Friday, a preliminary report for the crash is expected by the NTSB.

[petuniasevan]

Very sad and ironic. This man was on his LAST SHIFT. He had plane tickets home to Georgia. He had already given his notice to quit. The papers were signed and on management's desk. Why was Mr. Russell quitting? Maintenance concerns. He had decided to leave because he felt that safety was not important to that company. According to his widow, Russell had many times reported problems, to little avail. He even had to use a cell phone in lieu of an often-malfunctioning radio.

I was in aircraft maintenance in the Air Force (fixed-wing not rotors) and I never forgot that only my skill, attention to detail, and strict checklist discipline stood between that flight crew and disaster.

Side note: More irony. Russell was a helo pilot in 'Nam. He was shot down several times. That enemy couldn't kill him. But something, or someone, did kill him Tuesday night. Somehow I doubt pilot error or bad weather conditions.

[petuniasevan]

Ping

[petuniasevan]

Ping

[petuniasevan]

Ping!

[capitan_refugio]

I know nothing about helicopters, or even if they mentioned what type this one was. But just from that description - hot engine from use, problems immediately after refueling, odd behavior of the aircraft - I'm guessing fuel problems or maybe a vapor lock.

Pilots? What say ye?

[leadpenny]

Thanks for the ping. The VHPA Directory shows a Michael F. Russell, a potential member with an address in Phenix City, AL. Phenix City is just outside of Georgia near Ft. Benning.

[leadpenny]

Info.

[leadpenny]

FYI: A very useful database here:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/month.asp

[ladtx]

Sad story. Thanks.

[Archangelsk]

Fox says visibility at the time of the crash was four miles, and there were scattered clouds. Weather is not being ruled out.

Marginal VFR conditions. WX shouldn't be ruled out, but I suspect there may have been a mechanical failure. Turboshaft helicopters are notorious maintenance beasts.

[Archangelsk]

Augusta A109C

Sage advice I was once given, "never fly an A model."

[MeekOneGOP]

So sad...

Click here for “Taps”

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Rest in Peace Michael Russell

[TinkersDam]

Human factors and maintenance.

Apparently not enough time for a pre-flight inspection.

End of shift exhaustion?

If you want to bring down a helicopter aim for the tail rotor!

Many of these medical evacuation services are nothing but overworked pilots with terrible sleep deprivation flying planes that are too expensive for the service to maintain properly but the hospitals need the med-evac service for publicity reasons.

[TinkersDam]

Usually if a helicopter gets into trouble it can 'autorotate' to safety,, sort of a controlled crash.

Losing a rotor blade can prevent that but particularly losing that tail rotor can result in a total loss of directional control.

Fuel? Nah. Even with fuel gushing out and igniting he could have simply landed.

[petuniasevan]

I think that the above post might answer some of your questions.

[TinkersDam]

Autorotation of the rotors slows the helicopter down; this was a 'crash'.

Something that made the main rotor shaft seize perhaps but more likely it was the loss of the tail rotor, that makes the torque of the main rotor turning be unbalanced and the helicopter simply spins uncontrollably because the small tail rotor is not counteracting the main rotor's turning moment.