37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 1286321 |
Time | |
Date | 201508 |
Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | ZZZ.Airport |
State Reference | US |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC |
Light | Daylight |
Aircraft 1 | |
Make Model Name | Eurocopter AS 350/355/EC130 - Astar/Twinstar/Ecureuil |
Operating Under FAR Part | Part 135 |
Flight Phase | Cruise |
Route In Use | Direct |
Flight Plan | VFR |
Person 1 | |
Function | Pilot Flying Single Pilot |
Qualification | Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Instrument |
Experience | Flight Crew Last 90 Days 41 Flight Crew Total 4300 Flight Crew Type 300 |
Events | |
Anomaly | Conflict NMAC |
Miss Distance | Horizontal 0 Vertical 200 |
Narrative:
I am an EMS helicopter pilot. While flying with a patient from a scene call [to the medical center]; I encountered two crop dusting aircraft in close proximity to my aircraft. I was at 500 feet AGL (med crew requested lowest altitude due to patients severe head injury) a crop duster aircraft flew 200 feet below me perpendicular to my flight path. I do not believe the pilot of the other aircraft saw me at all. After this incident I climbed to 1000 feet AGL and [a few minutes later]; I had a second crop duster aircraft fly under me; again perpendicular to my flight path. As with the previous incident; I do not believe this pilot saw my aircraft either. Because of my increased altitude; there was at least 700 feet of separation between us and much less of a factor. Our current flight path flies right through an area of high crop dusting activity. Because they do not have a common frequency; there is no way to make advisory calls or communicate with the crop dusting aircraft.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: AS350B3 helicopter pilot reported two NMACs with crop dusters during flight.
Narrative: I am an EMS helicopter pilot. While flying with a patient from a scene call [to the medical center]; I encountered two crop dusting aircraft in close proximity to my aircraft. I was at 500 feet AGL (Med crew requested lowest altitude due to patients severe head injury) a crop duster aircraft flew 200 feet below me perpendicular to my flight path. I do not believe the pilot of the other aircraft saw me at all. After this incident I climbed to 1000 feet AGL and [a few minutes later]; I had a second crop duster aircraft fly under me; again perpendicular to my flight path. As with the previous incident; I do not believe this pilot saw my aircraft either. Because of my increased altitude; there was at least 700 feet of separation between us and much less of a factor. Our current flight path flies right through an area of high crop dusting activity. Because they do not have a common frequency; there is no way to make advisory calls or communicate with the crop dusting aircraft.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site 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.