Narrative:

I was pilot on duty for an emergency helicopter service. I received an emergency dispatch to an automatic accident. I flew to the closest safe landing area, which was the X hospital. I expected to immediately transfer the accident victim from nearby city to hospital a that night. When I restarted the helicopter's engines, after loading the accident victim, a fireman waved for my attention and said he saw sparks coming from the right engine during start. I shut the engines down and determined that it was safer to send the accident victim to hospital a by other means. I called the director of maintenance to discuss the situation and told him I would wait until daylight to see if I thought the helicopter was flyable. So due to the late hour, I sent my crew back while I got some sleep. At XX30 am I did a preflight check of the helicopter including: the engine chip detector plugs as prescribed by daily ad. I called the director of maintenance and told him the helicopter looked ok from the visual inspection. I discussed starting the engines and doing a hover check. If everything looked within limits I would fly the helicopter back. Mr X agreed. I checked the area around the helicopter to see if I would find evidence of the sparks reported the previous night. I found nothing except a small burned area in the grass. I ran up the helicopter, did several satisfactory hover checks and elected to takeoff. After takeoff the #2 engine overheated and I determined that I should shut the engine down and continue flight on 1 engine. It soon became evident that, although I could maintain altitude on 1 engine, I could not maintain a climb, so I proceeded to a preselected emergency landing zone. During my descent to landing in the emergency landing zone, the helicopter tail struck an oak tree about 30 ft above the ground. I cushioned the landing with remaining engine power and collective. After being unable to shut down the #1 engine from within the helicopter, I exited and shut it down manually. Returning to retrieve the fire extinguisher, I put out the grass/brush fire under the helicopter and assisted the arriving fire department crews in ensuring that the helicopter's engines and fuel supply were completely shut off.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMS HELI ON FERRY FLT HAS ENG OVERHEAT. SHUTS DOWN BUT UNABLE TO CLB SINGLE ENG. MAKES PRECAUTIONARY LNDG, TAIL STRIKES OAK TREE.

Narrative: I WAS PLT ON DUTY FOR AN EMER HELI SVC. I RECEIVED AN EMER DISPATCH TO AN AUTO ACCIDENT. I FLEW TO THE CLOSEST SAFE LNDG AREA, WHICH WAS THE X HOSPITAL. I EXPECTED TO IMMEDIATELY TRANSFER THE ACCIDENT VICTIM FROM NEARBY CITY TO HOSPITAL A THAT NIGHT. WHEN I RESTARTED THE HELI'S ENGS, AFTER LOADING THE ACCIDENT VICTIM, A FIREMAN WAVED FOR MY ATTN AND SAID HE SAW SPARKS COMING FROM THE R ENG DURING START. I SHUT THE ENGS DOWN AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS SAFER TO SEND THE ACCIDENT VICTIM TO HOSPITAL A BY OTHER MEANS. I CALLED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT TO DISCUSS THE SITUATION AND TOLD HIM I WOULD WAIT UNTIL DAYLIGHT TO SEE IF I THOUGHT THE HELI WAS FLYABLE. SO DUE TO THE LATE HR, I SENT MY CREW BACK WHILE I GOT SOME SLEEP. AT XX30 AM I DID A PREFLT CHK OF THE HELI INCLUDING: THE ENG CHIP DETECTOR PLUGS AS PRESCRIBED BY DAILY AD. I CALLED THE DIRECTOR OF MAINT AND TOLD HIM THE HELI LOOKED OK FROM THE VISUAL INSPECTION. I DISCUSSED STARTING THE ENGS AND DOING A HOVER CHK. IF EVERYTHING LOOKED WITHIN LIMITS I WOULD FLY THE HELI BACK. MR X AGREED. I CHKED THE AREA AROUND THE HELI TO SEE IF I WOULD FIND EVIDENCE OF THE SPARKS RPTED THE PREVIOUS NIGHT. I FOUND NOTHING EXCEPT A SMALL BURNED AREA IN THE GRASS. I RAN UP THE HELI, DID SEVERAL SATISFACTORY HOVER CHKS AND ELECTED TO TKOF. AFTER TKOF THE #2 ENG OVERHEATED AND I DETERMINED THAT I SHOULD SHUT THE ENG DOWN AND CONTINUE FLT ON 1 ENG. IT SOON BECAME EVIDENT THAT, ALTHOUGH I COULD MAINTAIN ALT ON 1 ENG, I COULD NOT MAINTAIN A CLB, SO I PROCEEDED TO A PRESELECTED EMER LNDG ZONE. DURING MY DSCNT TO LNDG IN THE EMER LNDG ZONE, THE HELI TAIL STRUCK AN OAK TREE ABOUT 30 FT ABOVE THE GND. I CUSHIONED THE LNDG WITH REMAINING ENG PWR AND COLLECTIVE. AFTER BEING UNABLE TO SHUT DOWN THE #1 ENG FROM WITHIN THE HELI, I EXITED AND SHUT IT DOWN MANUALLY. RETURNING TO RETRIEVE THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER, I PUT OUT THE GRASS/BRUSH FIRE UNDER THE HELI AND ASSISTED THE ARRIVING FIRE DEPT CREWS IN ENSURING THAT THE HELI'S ENGS AND FUEL SUPPLY WERE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.