A helicopter instructor who witnessed the safe landing of a damaged medical helicopter cited the safety features on that aircraft and the pilot’s training for his “amazing job” of landing and bringing the aircraft and the three crew members down safely.
The Eurocopter EC135 AirCare 5 medical transport helicopter’s landing followed a midair collision with a 1967 single-engine Cessna 172L about a half-mile north of the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport on December 31. In that collision, the left wing of the Cessna was knocked off which caused it to plummet to the ground, killing the pilot and his passenger.
The helicopter is registered to PHI Inc. in Lafayette, La. The plane was registered to Michael W. Price of Elton, although he was not on the plane at the time of the crash.
It is not known what the plane’s destination was or where the flight originated. The helicopter was returning from the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville. and, although damaged, managed to land safely with three crew members on board.
The NTSB is investigating the cause of the incident.
