What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On 12 January 2018 at 16:33 CST a BHT-206-L4 helicopter made an emergency landing one mile north west of Elton, Louisiana after the pilot suffered an incapacitating medical event. The aircraft was performing a helicopter air ambulance operation in VFR conditions from an unimproved landing scene to the helipad at lafayette general hospital.
The medical crew experienced difficulty communicating with the pilot soon after departure from the scene. They determined he was having a medical event making him disoriented and unresponsive to verbal communications.
The flight medic positioned himself under a medical equipment support bar and on top of the patient?s legs to gain access to the pilot. The flight nurse established communications with the operations control center (occ) and declared an emergency. The flight crew determined that the autopilot was ?engaged? Since the aircraft was maintaining altitude in a shallow left bank. The flight medic assisted the pilot by carefully applying pressure to the cyclic to level the aircraft without making the pilot think he was assuming control. The flight nurse maintained communication with occ and relayed messages to and from the flight medic.
The flight medic asked the pilot to return to base and land in any of the open fields they overflew in an effort to trigger a familiar action. Ten minutes into the flight, the pilot identified a field between two houses and asked if he should land there. The flight medic confirmed the landing area and asked the pilot to land. The approach into the field remained controlled and a soft landing accomplished.
Immediately upon landing, the flight medic assured the collective remained down and closed the throttle. He advised the flight nurse to exit the aircraft. He then shut off the fuel switch, moved all overhead switches aft in order to complete the emergency shutdown procedure and applied the rotor brake. There was no aircraft damage or injuries to the pilot, two medical crewmembers or patient.
The flight nurse assisted the pilot out of the aircraft and remained with him while the flight medic provided care for the patient. Ground EMS crews arrived within ten minutes to transport the pilot with the flight nurse accompanying him to a local emergency room.
Another air ambulance helicopter arrived on the scene to intercept the patient. The flight medic provided a report to that medical crew and stayed with the aircraft until company personnel arrived. The night pilot and base mechanic conducted a very detailed assessment of the aircraft and returned it to the base.
The pilot remained hospitalized for a week and released to home. His medical condition did not allow his participation in a post incident interview.
As the FAA filed it
ON 12 JANUARY 2018 AT 16:33 CST A BHT-206-L4 HELICOPTER MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ONE MILE NORTH WEST OF ELTON, LOUISIANA AFTER THE PILOT SUFFERED AN INCAPACITATING MEDICAL EVENT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PERFORMING A HELICOPTER AIR AMBULANCE OPERATION IN VFR CONDITIONS FROM AN UNIMPROVED LANDING SCENE TO THE HELIPAD AT LAFAYETTE GENERAL HOSPITAL.
THE MEDICAL CREW EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING WITH THE PILOT SOON AFTER DEPARTURE FROM THE SCENE. THEY DETERMINED HE WAS HAVING A MEDICAL EVENT MAKING HIM DISORIENTED AND UNRESPONSIVE TO VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS.
THE FLIGHT MEDIC POSITIONED HIMSELF UNDER A MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPORT BAR AND ON TOP OF THE PATIENT?S LEGS TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE PILOT. THE FLIGHT NURSE ESTABLISHED COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER (OCC) AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE FLIGHT CREW DETERMINED THAT THE AUTOPILOT WAS ?ENGAGED? SINCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS MAINTAINING ALTITUDE IN A SHALLOW LEFT BANK. THE FLIGHT MEDIC ASSISTED THE PILOT BY CAREFULLY APPLYING PRESSURE TO THE CYCLIC TO LEVEL THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT MAKING THE PILOT THINK HE WAS ASSUMING CONTROL. THE FLIGHT NURSE MAINTAINED COMMUNICATION WITH OCC AND RELAYED MESSAGES TO AND FROM THE FLIGHT MEDIC.
THE FLIGHT MEDIC ASKED THE PILOT TO RETURN TO BASE AND LAND IN ANY OF THE OPEN FIELDS THEY OVERFLEW IN AN EFFORT TO TRIGGER A FAMILIAR ACTION. TEN MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT, THE PILOT IDENTIFIED A FIELD BETWEEN TWO HOUSES AND ASKED IF HE SHOULD LAND THERE. THE FLIGHT MEDIC CONFIRMED THE LANDING AREA AND ASKED THE PILOT TO LAND. THE APPROACH INTO THE FIELD REMAINED CONTROLLED AND A SOFT LANDING ACCOMPLISHED.
IMMEDIATELY UPON LANDING, THE FLIGHT MEDIC ASSURED THE COLLECTIVE REMAINED DOWN AND CLOSED THE THROTTLE. HE ADVISED THE FLIGHT NURSE TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT. HE THEN SHUT OFF THE FUEL SWITCH, MOVED ALL OVERHEAD SWITCHES AFT IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN PROCEDURE AND APPLIED THE ROTOR BRAKE. THERE WAS NO AIRCRAFT DAMAGE OR INJURIES TO THE PILOT, TWO MEDICAL CREWMEMBERS OR PATIENT.
THE FLIGHT NURSE ASSISTED THE PILOT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND REMAINED WITH HIM WHILE THE FLIGHT MEDIC PROVIDED CARE FOR THE PATIENT. GROUND EMS CREWS ARRIVED WITHIN TEN MINUTES TO TRANSPORT THE PILOT WITH THE FLIGHT NURSE ACCOMPANYING HIM TO A LOCAL EMERGENCY ROOM.
ANOTHER AIR AMBULANCE HELICOPTER ARRIVED ON THE SCENE TO INTERCEPT THE PATIENT. THE FLIGHT MEDIC PROVIDED A REPORT TO THAT MEDICAL CREW AND STAYED WITH THE AIRCRAFT UNTIL COMPANY PERSONNEL ARRIVED. THE NIGHT PILOT AND BASE MECHANIC CONDUCTED A VERY DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND RETURNED IT TO THE BASE.
THE PILOT REMAINED HOSPITALIZED FOR A WEEK AND RELEASED TO HOME. HIS MEDICAL CONDITION DID NOT ALLOW HIS PARTICIPATION IN A POST INCIDENT INTERVIEW.