I. Introduction General Since 1987, over 265 MEDEVAC aircraft have crashed with an annual peak occurring in 2008 in which 7 crashes occurred in that year killing 28 people. Factors contributing to the crashes widely vary but include Mechanical Issues, Reduced Visibility, Non Reported Obstacles around the helipad (ex: Cranes and Antennas), Fatigue, and Poor Communications. Over forty percent of these crashes happened within 1000 feet of the hospital helipad. In the United States, there are over 850 civilian MEDEVAC aircraft in operation of which fly over 400,000 missions annually 1. In addition, in the state of Georgia, 36 Military MEDEVAC UH-60s are in operation with 6 to 10 operating on any given day. Scope Any mishap involving an aircraft on or around the hospital helipad would result in a Multi-Agency response. In a case in which the aircraft landed without injuries or damage (typically a controlled landing due to mechanical issues which make further flight unsafe), an aircraft recovery team from the sponsoring agency would need access to the aircraft in order to necessitate removal. In situations resulting in injury / loss of life and / or property, Police, Fire and EMS assets would be involved in the initial response with follow-up from the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the recovery phase. Other responding agencies could include (but not limited too) Georgia Division of Public Health (GDPH), Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA), Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In accordance with the Georgia Health Sciences Health System Emergency Operations Plan, in a situation involving injury and / or loss of life and / or property, a Unified Command would be established with Richmond County Fire Department taking lead regarding the aircraft and its occupants. Georgia Health Sciences Health System s focus would remain within its structures and the patients and personnel they contain. Definitions FOD Foreign Object Debris - a substance, debris or article alien to the vehicle or system which would potentially cause damage. Examples include rocks, nuts and bolts, hand tools, etc NOTAMS Notice To Airmen. NOTAMS are used to report factors to pilots which may require deviation of course and or delay or canceling of flight path. 1 National EMS Pilots Association Statistics, February 2009. 1 Revised: 10/06/2011
Pinnacle Landing Area a Landing Zone which is elevated above the surrounding area. Such landing areas may be on roof tops, mountains, cliffs, etc. Special considerations required by the pilot during the landing approach. II. Situation & Assumptions Situation: Due to any number of errors (human and / or mechanical) a helicopter looses control resulting in an uncontrolled landing (i.e.: crash) or Premature Landing (controlled but unscheduled) on or near the helipad. The helipad is a pinnacle landing located at a coordinate of N 33 28.16 W -81 28.18 at an elevation of 255 feet. GPS (Degrees): Lat: 33 28' 16'', Long: -81 59' 18'' GPS (Seconds): Lat: 33.471111, Long: -81.988333 Site Number: 03646.05*H Location ID: 4GA2 Tie-In FSS ID: MCN Name: Macon Tie-In FSS Toll-Free Number: 1-800-WX-BRIEF Magnetic Variation: 5W (Year 1995) Maximum Gross Weight: 22,000 pounds Lighting Schedule: Dusk-Dawn, Wind direction indicator: Y-L, Airspace Determination: SEE AIRSPACE CASE 94-ATL-107-NRA. Runway 1 General Length: 63 ft, Width: 63 ft, Runway Surface Type Condition: Pierced steel planking, landing mats, membranes, Edge Lights Intensity: PERI Assumptions: Aircraft is within weight tolerances of helipad. NOTAMS are maintained, pad is closed when heavy construction or cranes are present. III. Concept of Operations Rotor Wing aircraft and their pilots prefer to land with their nose facing into the wind. Therefore a wind traveling west to east would require the pilot to fly east to west on approach to the pad. For pilots landing at the heli-pad for the first time, a common practice is to perform a High and Low recon of the pad in order to detect any possible hazards. Such hazards may 2 Revised: 10/06/2011
include (but not limited too): wires / cables, towers / antennas, buildings rising above the pad, cranes, any item which has the potential to interfere with the aircraft. During their landing approach, pilots will look for an emergency landing area in case mechanical issues arise which prevents safe landing at the designated heli-pad. Often times these alternate landing areas will be flat, un-populated areas if at all possible. However, if sudden mechanical issues arise which force an immediate landing; the pilot may only have a second or two to make the decision as to where to point the aircraft. Mitigate Risk Factors There are a few risks which can affect an aircraft on approach to Georgia Health Sciences Health System and are controllable by Georgia Health Sciences Health System. They are: 3 Revised: 10/06/2011
Fire Extinguisher / Training: FAA AC 150/5390-2B Helipad Design & Safety require Aviation rated fire suppression / extinguishers be on site of any operating heli-pad. Furthermore training of persons to operate these extinguishers is also required. FOD NTSB reports that over 50 percent of helicopter accidents are FOD related. Ensuring that the Helipad is clear of all FOD is critical in insuring the safety of pilots, aircrews and their patients. If a single bolt, washer or even a small rag was pulled through the engine turbine the result could be disastrous and lead to loss of life. Regular inspections of the helipad for FOD must occur. Lighting Helipad lighting must be maintained in 100 percent operational condition at all times. As wear and tear burn out lights, those bulbs will be replaced. Any maintained issues arise, a qualified repair technician will address the issue. Reporting Any time an obstacle is raised in or near the flight path of the helipad, a NOTAM request will be sent to Augusta Regional Air Traffic Control as well as to the Air Ambulance Services in the area. Response Premature Landings: A Premature Landing is often caused by a warning system within the cockpit telling the pilot that something is wrong (similar to the warning lights of a car). The pilot makes a conscious decision to land the aircraft or not to take off (depending on situation). Two scenarios are likely in this situation. 1) An inbound aircraft (with patient) must land short of the helipad (parking lot, field, etc). In this case, the pilot will be in contact with Air Traffic Control and will request an Ambulance be sent to complete transport of patients. 2) The pilot lands on the Georgia Health Sciences Health System helipad but is unable to take off due to mechanical issues. In this situation, the Heli-Pad manager in collaboration with the pilot must make the decision as to weather or not to close the heli-pad until the aircraft can be cleared. Decision to do so will depend on multiple factors to include the size and position of the aircraft on the heli-pad. It is the responsibility of the agency which owns the aircraft to recover the aircraft. Georgia Health Sciences Health System will cooperate in facilitating that recovery. 4 Revised: 10/06/2011
Crashes: Many variables are factored in during a crash of an aircraft. The most likely time for a rotor-wing aircraft to experience a crash is during landing or take-off procedures when the aircraft power requirements are in a state of transition. Emergency Landing areas around the Georgia Health Sciences Health System Helipad include Parking deck 3, the VA parking lots and the CMC parking deck. Additional areas include those spaces between the main structure and the parking areas. Upon the crash of any aircraft the first responsibility of any and all witnesses is to call 9-1-1. Sixteen percent of aircraft crashes will result in immediate fires while another 28 percent will develop fire shortly after the crash. Aircraft fires burn at extremely high temperatures as they often involve a combination of jet fuel and metals such as magnesium. These fires can not be put out with standard fire extinguishers and must be left to the Fire Services. The Hospital Incident Command System should be activated. Security personnel will establish a perimeter one hundred meters (300 feet) around the aircraft. Crash w/out structure impact Response Matrix 1. Call 9-1-1 2. Activate Hospital Incident Command 3. Establish Perimeter 300 feet around aircraft 4. Consider Code Red or Code Triage responses 5. Prepare for possible secondary casualties (occupants of impact site) Crash w/ structure impact Response Matrix 1. Call 9-1-1 2. Activate Hospital Incident Command 3. Establish Unified Command with Responding Agencies 4. Establish Perimeter 5. Evacuate Affected areas * 6. Activate Code Red Alarms 7. Consider Code Triage Activation Aircraft impacts with structures can have minimal damage to the structure or can lead to complete structural collapse. It is highly unlikely that the later would be possible given the size of civilian and military medevac aircraft operating in the area. That said secondary fires fueled by spillage of fuels pose the greatest threat when dealing with an aircraft vs. structure impact. Safety Considerations: 5 Revised: 10/06/2011
The rotor system of a helicopter may continue to spin long after the engine has stopped. Furthermore, the tail rotor may continue spinning even if the main (overhead) rotor has stopped or become separated from the aircraft. Under no circumstances should anyone approach the aircraft while the rotors (main or tail) are spinning. IV. Administration & Logistics The Helipad Manager, Emergency Management Specialist and the Director of Safety will review this plan annually no later than June 30 th of each year. Maintainance of the Helipad will be the responsibility of the Helipad manager and fall under the department of Facilities. V. Authorities & References AIRSPACE CASE 94-ATL-107-NRA. Runway 1 General FAA AC 150/5390-2B Helipad Design & Safety National EMS Pilots Association, An Opportunity to Improve - Hospital Helipad Safety. National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) regulations 403 & 418. Georgia Health Sciences University Public Safety Emergency Operations Plan Richmond County Emergency Operations Plan Georgia Health Sciences Health System Emergency Operation Plan and Evacuation Plan 6 Revised: 10/06/2011