What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Aircraft impacted power lines on takeoff. Nurses not under seat belts. Night curtains not closed. Hindered view. (.4)on takeoff from an automobile accident site, with the patient on board, the air ambulance flight made a climbing right turn and flew into power lines. Witness marks on the helicopter provided evidence the helicopter struck the transmission line from below and impacted the ground in an inverted attitude below and to the west of the lines. Light conditions were a dark night with emergency response, construction, and emergency response vehicle lights illuminating the landing site area. The existence of the power lines was unknown to the fire rescue on-scene commander and the light conditions prevented the pilot from seeing anything outside the lighted area. The unmarked power lines were 622 feet apart and oriented northeast/southwest. The southern tower was 106 feet high and the northern tower 83.5 feet high. The towers and lines did not meet obstruction-marking criteria and were not marked. In addition, they were not depicted on sectional or topographic maps. Company policy, promulgated through documents and training, provided landing zone departure procedures which instructed the pilot to climb straight ahead in a near vertical climb to minimum of 300 feet AGL before turning. The horizontal distance form the helicopter's takeoff position to the power line was approximately 630 feet based on global positioning system (GPS) measurement.
As the FAA filed it
AIRCRAFT IMPACTED POWER LINES ON TAKEOFF. NURSES NOT UNDER SEAT BELTS. NIGHT CURTAINS NOT CLOSED. HINDERED VIEW. (.4)ON TAKEOFF FROM AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT SITE, WITH THE PATIENT ON BOARD, THE AIR AMBULANCE FLIGHT MADE A CLIMBING RIGHT TURN AND FLEW INTO POWER LINES. WITNESS MARKS ON THE HELICOPTER PROVIDED EVIDENCE THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE TRANSMISSION LINE FROM BELOW AND IMPACTED THE GROUND IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE BELOW AND TO THE WEST OF THE LINES. LIGHT CONDITIONS WERE A DARK NIGHT WITH EMERGENCY RESPONSE, CONSTRUCTION, AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE LIGHTS ILLUMINATING THE LANDING SITE AREA. THE EXISTENCE OF THE POWER LINES WAS UNKNOWN TO THE FIRE RESCUE ON-SCENE COMMANDER AND THE LIGHT CONDITIONS PREVENTED THE PILOT FROM SEEING ANYTHING OUTSIDE THE LIGHTED AREA. THE UNMARKED POWER LINES WERE 622 FEET APART AND ORIENTED NORTHEAST/SOUTHWEST. THE SOUTHERN TOWER WAS 106 FEET HIGH AND THE NORTHERN TOWER 83.5 FEET HIGH. THE TOWERS AND LINES DID NOT MEET OBSTRUCTION-MARKING CRITERIA AND WERE NOT MARKED. IN ADDITION, THEY WERE NOT DEPICTED ON SECTIONAL OR TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS. COMPANY POLICY, PROMULGATED THROUGH DOCUMENTS AND TRAINING, PROVIDED LANDING ZONE DEPARTURE PROCEDURES WHICH INSTRUCTED THE PILOT TO CLIMB STRAIGHT AHEAD IN A NEAR VERTICAL CLIMB TO MINIMUM OF 300 FEET AGL BEFORE TURNING. THE HORIZONTAL DISTANCE FORM THE HELICOPTER'S TAKEOFF POSITION TO THE POWER LINE WAS APPROXIMATELY 630 FEET BASED ON GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) MEASUREMENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.