Narrative:

A 1 car roll-over occurred on highway X. The communications director was the first responder on the scene. He notified our dispatch center to launch the helicopter and ambulance to the scene. Somehow the neighboring helicopter program heard the call and also launched their helicopter (BK117). During my takeoff from the hospital pad, I was monitoring the local tower frequency and I heard the BK117 calling for a northwest departure, about the same direction I was going. I also called the tower and asked for approval for a transition east to west. I called BK117 several times on our local unicom frequency. When I did contact him, I asked if he was responding to the scene call on highway X. He said that he was going to highway Y intersecting with highway X. As we continued to the accident site, I contacted my flight coordinator and requested GPS coordinates of the scene and frequency of the landing zone coordinator. The landing zone coordinator controls the landing zone, advises us of obstructions and blocks off traffic when landing on the highway. About 4 mins from the scene I made contact with the landing zone coordinator. He advised me of obstruction and that I would be landing on the eastbound lane of highway X and one of the ambulances would block off traffic. The BK117 was at least 2-3 mins ahead of me. As I arrived at the scene I performed a before landing check and a high reconnaissance of the area at 500-700 ft AGL. After completing 1 orbit, I set up for landing to the west. The winds were calm and visibility was 4 mi, haze. On short final at about 100-150 ft AGL, the medic in the left front seat said there is the BK117. I looked up and saw the BK117 fly overhead about 150 ft above me traveling east over the eastbound lane of highway X. After landing, I heard him on the local unicom radio accusing me of cutting him off. My initial comment was 'I am sorry I did not see you.' upon further investigation I found that highway X and highway Y were 3-4 mi west of the accident site. It appeared the BK117 flew to that location and found no accident then started back tracking eastbound along the interstate. By this time we had already arrived at the scene. I also know that no one at accident site knew that there was another helicopter inbound to the scene. It also appeared to me that at the speed he was traveling and the 2 obstacles in his approach path (about 150-200 ft apart) that he was not in a position to land at the designated landing site. Nor did he have any communication with anyone on the ground. He would have to have had some kind of communication with someone on the ground to get the traffic stopped on the interstate highway for him to land. In my opinion the crew of the BK117 exercised poor judgement and did not follow established procedures in the area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A EUROCOPTER 135 AIR AMBULANCE RESPONDING TO AN ACCIDENT SITE HAS NMAC WITH A SECOND AIR AMBULANCE ALSO IN THE AREA.

Narrative: A 1 CAR ROLL-OVER OCCURRED ON HWY X. THE COMS DIRECTOR WAS THE FIRST RESPONDER ON THE SCENE. HE NOTIFIED OUR DISPATCH CTR TO LAUNCH THE HELI AND AMBULANCE TO THE SCENE. SOMEHOW THE NEIGHBORING HELI PROGRAM HEARD THE CALL AND ALSO LAUNCHED THEIR HELI (BK117). DURING MY TKOF FROM THE HOSPITAL PAD, I WAS MONITORING THE LCL TWR FREQ AND I HEARD THE BK117 CALLING FOR A NW DEP, ABOUT THE SAME DIRECTION I WAS GOING. I ALSO CALLED THE TWR AND ASKED FOR APPROVAL FOR A TRANSITION E TO W. I CALLED BK117 SEVERAL TIMES ON OUR LCL UNICOM FREQ. WHEN I DID CONTACT HIM, I ASKED IF HE WAS RESPONDING TO THE SCENE CALL ON HWY X. HE SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO HWY Y INTERSECTING WITH HWY X. AS WE CONTINUED TO THE ACCIDENT SITE, I CONTACTED MY FLT COORDINATOR AND REQUESTED GPS COORDINATES OF THE SCENE AND FREQ OF THE LNDG ZONE COORDINATOR. THE LNDG ZONE COORDINATOR CTLS THE LNDG ZONE, ADVISES US OF OBSTRUCTIONS AND BLOCKS OFF TFC WHEN LNDG ON THE HWY. ABOUT 4 MINS FROM THE SCENE I MADE CONTACT WITH THE LNDG ZONE COORDINATOR. HE ADVISED ME OF OBSTRUCTION AND THAT I WOULD BE LNDG ON THE EBOUND LANE OF HWY X AND ONE OF THE AMBULANCES WOULD BLOCK OFF TFC. THE BK117 WAS AT LEAST 2-3 MINS AHEAD OF ME. AS I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE I PERFORMED A BEFORE LNDG CHK AND A HIGH RECONNAISSANCE OF THE AREA AT 500-700 FT AGL. AFTER COMPLETING 1 ORBIT, I SET UP FOR LNDG TO THE W. THE WINDS WERE CALM AND VISIBILITY WAS 4 MI, HAZE. ON SHORT FINAL AT ABOUT 100-150 FT AGL, THE MEDIC IN THE L FRONT SEAT SAID THERE IS THE BK117. I LOOKED UP AND SAW THE BK117 FLY OVERHEAD ABOUT 150 FT ABOVE ME TRAVELING E OVER THE EBOUND LANE OF HWY X. AFTER LNDG, I HEARD HIM ON THE LCL UNICOM RADIO ACCUSING ME OF CUTTING HIM OFF. MY INITIAL COMMENT WAS 'I AM SORRY I DID NOT SEE YOU.' UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND THAT HWY X AND HWY Y WERE 3-4 MI W OF THE ACCIDENT SITE. IT APPEARED THE BK117 FLEW TO THAT LOCATION AND FOUND NO ACCIDENT THEN STARTED BACK TRACKING EBOUND ALONG THE INTERSTATE. BY THIS TIME WE HAD ALREADY ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. I ALSO KNOW THAT NO ONE AT ACCIDENT SITE KNEW THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER HELI INBOUND TO THE SCENE. IT ALSO APPEARED TO ME THAT AT THE SPD HE WAS TRAVELING AND THE 2 OBSTACLES IN HIS APCH PATH (ABOUT 150-200 FT APART) THAT HE WAS NOT IN A POS TO LAND AT THE DESIGNATED LNDG SITE. NOR DID HE HAVE ANY COM WITH ANYONE ON THE GND. HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE HAD SOME KIND OF COM WITH SOMEONE ON THE GND TO GET THE TFC STOPPED ON THE INTERSTATE HWY FOR HIM TO LAND. IN MY OPINION THE CREW OF THE BK117 EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT AND DID NOT FOLLOW ESTABLISHED PROCS IN THE AREA.

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.