An investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board
said Thursday the on-scene probe into the LifeStar medical
helicopter crash earlier this month that claimed the life of an
Erie man has ended.

Brian Rayner, an air safety investigator for the board, said a
preliminary investigation into the crash will likely be available
within the next couple of days. He did not indicate whether the
aircraft was lost as a result of a mechanical problem, pilot error
or weather conditions.

“So far, we’ve examined the helicopter at the scene,” Rayner
said. “It was then moved to Bradford Regional Airport for a more
detailed exam. From there, the major components of the helicopter
were shipped out for disassembly.”

Rayner said studies on air traffic and weather are also being
conducted.

“The maintenance records for the helicopter are extensive and a
cursory look at the record was done at the airport,” Rayner said.
“It’s a very large job (investigation) that has to be done very
slowly and methodically, with many, many aspects of the crash
investigation that are separate from the crash site itself.

“The crash site is what gets the most attention and where the
highest drama is, but that is not the total focus of the
investigation,” Rayner added.

Authorities said Heinz Schulz, 59, an 18-year veteran pilot, was
the only occupant of the Agusta 109 Power helicopter when he was
killed Oct. 7 after the aircraft crashed into a heavily wooded area
south of the airport while on a refueling mission.

Schulz had just dropped off two other members of the flight crew
at Kane Community Hospital to prepare a patient for a rescue
flight. Schulz then went to refuel at the airport, losing radio
contact with the ground at 11:41 p.m.

Following a nearly two-day search, Schulz was found dead Oct. 9,
about five miles southeast of the airport in the vicinity of
Lindholm Road. Lindholm Road connects U.S. Route 6 and Route 59 in
Keating and Hamlin townships.

McKean County Coroner Mike Cahill ruled the cause of death as
multiple trauma, adding Schulz died instantaneously.

Schulz was employed by CJ Systems Aviation Group of West
Mifflin, which contracted to provide the LifeStar service out of
St. Vincent and Hamot Medical centers in Erie. The two other
members of the flight crew – a flight nurse and paramedic – are
employed by EmergyCare Inc. of Erie. LifeStar is a regional
critical care ground and air transport and a division of
EmergyCare.

“The company has been very cooperative and provided everything
we asked for almost immediately,” Rayner said.

Reports from the scene indicated there was very little damage to
the trees or surrounding area, surmising the helicopter must have
went straight down.

“Every crash site is a little bit different,” Rayner said,
adding “sometimes things are not what they immediately appear to
be.”

Rayner declined to further elaborate on the trajectory of the
helicopter as it crashed or the impact on the surrounding area.

The investigator did say, however, pieces of the aircraft have
been shipped by the agency to various locations across the country
depending on where the manufacturer is located. For example, Rayner
said the helicopter’s engines have been shipped to Texas and are
awaiting testing.

According to Rayner, the parts are placed in a sealed crate and
transported on a federally authorized freight carrier to a specific
destination, where they are placed in a quarantined cage. They are
then opened by a federal agent.

In regards to when a final determination will be made in the
investigation, Rayner said a factual report, which comes complete
with finished studies and photographs, will be put before a
five-member safety board who will examine it and publish the
findings.

“That is several months down the road,” Rayner said. “It’s still
very early in the process.”

Officials from LifeStar said it was the first crash of this
nature in the agency’s 20-year history.

In a ceremony last week, nearly 800 mourners paid respect to
Schulz at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center at Mercyhurst
College.

Emergency medical-service providers, according to the Erie Times
News, from throughout the area gathered for the ceremony.