- Date
- August 30, 2010, 20:20 local (Aug 31, 2010, 00:20 UTC)
- Place
- Marion, VA
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N516MTBell Helicopter Textron Canada 407
- Defining event
- Enroute: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Status
- Completed · report December 2, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 77155
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The cardiac impairment of the pilot during a positioning flight.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
During a positioning flight shortly after takeoff, the pilot began to have chest pains and he informed the on-board medical crew that he would be returning to the departure heliport. He landed uneventfully at the heliport and was then airlifted by a company helicopter to a hospital in Tennessee for medical treatment.
Factual narrative
On August 30, 2010, about 2020 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407, N516MT, registered to and operated by Med-Trans Corporation, was landed uneventfully after the pilot experienced physical discomfort during a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight from Smythe County Community Hospital Heliport (VG41), Marion, Virginia, to Wythe County Community Hospital Heliport (22VA), Wytheville, Virginia. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and company flight following was activated. The helicopter was not damaged and there were no injuries to the commercial certificated pilot, nurse, or paramedic. The flight originated from VG41 about 2014.The director of operations stated that shortly after takeoff, the pilot began to have chest pains and he informed the on-board medical crew that he would be returning to the departure heliport. He landed uneventfully at the heliport and was then airlifted by a company helicopter to a hospital in Tennessee for medical treatment.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N516MT
- Reported as
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 53762
- Airframe hours
- 1,379
- Engine
- Rolls-Royc 250-C47B, 650 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Med-Trans Corp
- Registered owner
- Med-Trans Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · August 29, 2010
- Departed
- VG41 · Marion, VA
- Destination
- 22VA · Wytheville, VA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- VG41 · Smyth County Community Hospita
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 25, 2010
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 12,975 total · 12,160 as pilot in command · 28 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Not reported
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.42 inHg
- Observed at
- MKJ