Narrative:

Multiple vehicle accident scene flight. My aircraft was the second to arrive at the scene. The first aircraft had just lifted as I arrived at the scene. I was told by ground unit to land south of the two ambulance units. I thought I had good location in sight from where the first aircraft lifted. Landing was to be made on highway. Other aircraft advised me to land on the road; south of the ground units and to watch for wires near the road; but not a factor. I flew over; located what I thought was the landing area and set up an approach to the northwest. I spotted the wires west of the road and also crossing just south of the ground units; which were parked under the wires. I landed on the road in the left lane of the highway. Apparently; I fixated on the ground units and the wires; without thinking about it I landed close over a line of stopped vehicles and set down in the adjacent lane next to the front of that line. We made the patient pickup; I took off and completed the flight to the hospital and returned to base. On the trip home I was discussing the flight with the crew. One of them mentioned that he was told that we had landed in the wrong location. There were about 6 ambulances on the ground covering a large area and I had picked the wrong ones. I don't remember any radio traffic pointing out my error. At that point I had one of those blinding flashes of insight and I realized how dangerous that landing had been. Before that point it just hadn't crossed my mind. I was in the next lane; parallel to the stopped traffic and my main rotor was overlapping the cars! My tail rotor was in close proximity to the cars behind me! Really stupid! I can't offer any excuses; I just didn't think. Fortunately; no one was injured and no damage was done. We were only on the ground 7 mins. It was late; I was at the end of my shift approaching 14 hours and I guess I wasn't at my best mentally. We sometimes have to land in some very tight areas and it is easy to fixate on avoiding the obstacles; but one must also realize what these obstacles are. Interestingly; neither of my medical crew considered the close vehicles and they assisted me landing. I guess they were fixated on getting to the patient. I definitely won't do this again. I will verify landing areas with ground units and positively identify them before landing and never land in close proximity to nearby non-emergency vehicles. I can't find any specific regulation that I broke; but this was definitely a safety problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN EMS HELI PLT RPTS LNDG IN CLOSE PROX TO VEHICLES AT AN AUTO ACCIDENT SCENE AFTER FAILING TO LOCATE THE CORRECT LNDG SITE.

Narrative: MULTIPLE VEHICLE ACCIDENT SCENE FLT. MY ACFT WAS THE SECOND TO ARRIVE AT THE SCENE. THE FIRST ACFT HAD JUST LIFTED AS I ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. I WAS TOLD BY GND UNIT TO LAND S OF THE TWO AMBULANCE UNITS. I THOUGHT I HAD GOOD LOCATION IN SIGHT FROM WHERE THE FIRST ACFT LIFTED. LNDG WAS TO BE MADE ON HWY. OTHER ACFT ADVISED ME TO LAND ON THE ROAD; S OF THE GND UNITS AND TO WATCH FOR WIRES NEAR THE ROAD; BUT NOT A FACTOR. I FLEW OVER; LOCATED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS THE LNDG AREA AND SET UP AN APCH TO THE NW. I SPOTTED THE WIRES W OF THE ROAD AND ALSO XING JUST S OF THE GND UNITS; WHICH WERE PARKED UNDER THE WIRES. I LANDED ON THE ROAD IN THE L LANE OF THE HWY. APPARENTLY; I FIXATED ON THE GND UNITS AND THE WIRES; WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT I LANDED CLOSE OVER A LINE OF STOPPED VEHICLES AND SET DOWN IN THE ADJACENT LANE NEXT TO THE FRONT OF THAT LINE. WE MADE THE PATIENT PICKUP; I TOOK OFF AND COMPLETED THE FLT TO THE HOSPITAL AND RETURNED TO BASE. ON THE TRIP HOME I WAS DISCUSSING THE FLT WITH THE CREW. ONE OF THEM MENTIONED THAT HE WAS TOLD THAT WE HAD LANDED IN THE WRONG LOCATION. THERE WERE ABOUT 6 AMBULANCES ON THE GND COVERING A LARGE AREA AND I HAD PICKED THE WRONG ONES. I DON'T REMEMBER ANY RADIO TFC POINTING OUT MY ERROR. AT THAT POINT I HAD ONE OF THOSE BLINDING FLASHES OF INSIGHT AND I REALIZED HOW DANGEROUS THAT LNDG HAD BEEN. BEFORE THAT POINT IT JUST HADN'T CROSSED MY MIND. I WAS IN THE NEXT LANE; PARALLEL TO THE STOPPED TFC AND MY MAIN ROTOR WAS OVERLAPPING THE CARS! MY TAIL ROTOR WAS IN CLOSE PROX TO THE CARS BEHIND ME! REALLY STUPID! I CAN'T OFFER ANY EXCUSES; I JUST DIDN'T THINK. FORTUNATELY; NO ONE WAS INJURED AND NO DAMAGE WAS DONE. WE WERE ONLY ON THE GND 7 MINS. IT WAS LATE; I WAS AT THE END OF MY SHIFT APCHING 14 HRS AND I GUESS I WASN'T AT MY BEST MENTALLY. WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO LAND IN SOME VERY TIGHT AREAS AND IT IS EASY TO FIXATE ON AVOIDING THE OBSTACLES; BUT ONE MUST ALSO REALIZE WHAT THESE OBSTACLES ARE. INTERESTINGLY; NEITHER OF MY MEDICAL CREW CONSIDERED THE CLOSE VEHICLES AND THEY ASSISTED ME LNDG. I GUESS THEY WERE FIXATED ON GETTING TO THE PATIENT. I DEFINITELY WON'T DO THIS AGAIN. I WILL VERIFY LNDG AREAS WITH GND UNITS AND POSITIVELY IDENT THEM BEFORE LNDG AND NEVER LAND IN CLOSE PROX TO NEARBY NON-EMER VEHICLES. I CAN'T FIND ANY SPECIFIC REG THAT I BROKE; BUT THIS WAS DEFINITELY A SAFETY PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.