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EC135 pilot aborted liftoff from a medical center helipad when he observed the lights of another helicopter landing in close proximity.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 1081380 |
| Time | |
| Date | 201304 |
| Local Time Of Day | 1801-2400 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
| State Reference | US |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Make Model Name | EC135 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
| Flight Phase | Parked |
| Person 1 | |
| Function | Captain Pilot Flying |
| Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | Conflict Ground Conflict Less Severe |
Narrative:
[Operations] advised pilot that [another helicopter] was '10 minutes or so' inbound to [the medical center] as well. After departure I received another call from [operations] asking if I had heard from [the other helicopter]; I responded; 'no.' landing was uneventful at the helipad. Three aircrew members boarded the aircraft. After performing the pre-takeoff checklist; a crew member requested and we received permission to lift and return to base. As I pulled power; I noticed a bright light flooded the cockpit. I immediately reduced collective pitch and looked over my right shoulder and saw a searchlight and then the undercarriage of a helicopter approaching the parking position from the northwest.I made a call to [operations] informing them that they had an aircraft landing. They requested that I hold my position. After [the other helicopter] went to flight idle; I made contact with them on area common [frequency.] both pilots and [operations] coordinated that [the other helicopter] would remain at the park position until I departed. We departed from the adjoining 'H' without incident.a long term solution would be to develop a universal tracking system where all flight operation centers can see the locations and identification's of all EMS aircraft. Pilots must be ever cautious and diligent when reporting their aircraft's current position and intentions when entering high traffic areas.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: EC135 pilot aborted liftoff from a medical center helipad when he observed the lights of another helicopter landing in close proximity.
Narrative: [Operations] advised pilot that [another helicopter] was '10 minutes or so' inbound to [the Medical Center] as well. After departure I received another call from [Operations] asking if I had heard from [the other helicopter]; I responded; 'No.' Landing was uneventful at the helipad. Three aircrew members boarded the aircraft. After performing the Pre-Takeoff Checklist; a crew member requested and we received permission to lift and return to base. As I pulled power; I noticed a bright light flooded the cockpit. I immediately reduced collective pitch and looked over my right shoulder and saw a searchlight and then the undercarriage of a helicopter approaching the parking position from the northwest.I made a call to [Operations] informing them that they had an aircraft landing. They requested that I hold my position. After [the other helicopter] went to flight idle; I made contact with them on area common [frequency.] Both pilots and [Operations] coordinated that [the other helicopter] would remain at the park position until I departed. We departed from the adjoining 'H' without incident.A long term solution would be to develop a universal tracking system where all flight operation centers can see the locations and ID's of all EMS aircraft. Pilots must be ever cautious and diligent when reporting their aircraft's current position and intentions when entering high traffic areas.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2013 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.