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    Home Archives Preliminary report released on LifeStar crash.
    Preliminary report released on LifeStar crash.
    Archives
    October 26, 2005

    Preliminary report released on LifeStar crash.

    By MIKE SCHREIBER

    The cockpit and cabin area of the LifeStar medical helicopter
    that crashed into a heavily wooded area near Lindholm Road earlier
    this month was “consumed by fire” after an explosion left pieces of
    the aircraft strewn across a circular, 180-foot-long area.

    That’s the word from a preliminary report released by the
    National Transportation Safety Board into the fatal medical
    helicopter crash that claimed the life of Erie man Heinz Schulz,
    59, an 18-year veteran pilot.

    The Oct. 7 crash while Schulz was on a refueling mission to
    Bradford Regional Airport after dropping off two other crew members
    to prepare a patient for transport at Kane Community Hospital,
    launched a nearly two-day search by scores of responders, whose
    efforts were in vain after Schulz was discovered dead while still
    in the cockpit of the helicopter on the afternoon of Oct. 9.

    The crash is being investigated by Brian Raynor, an air safety
    investigator for the board. The report does not give a definitive
    cause for the accident, but offers a glimpse of what occurred at
    the time of approach to the airport and the subsequent impact with
    the ground.

    “The cockpit and cabin area were consumed by fire,” the report
    reads. “All instruments and gauges associated with the cockpit were
    destroyed by impact and post crash fire. The helicopter was
    fragmented, burned and melted along the entire (wreckage)
    path.”

    The report indicated a witness – who was not identified – living
    about one mile from the crash site, felt the helicopter was closer
    to his home, lower than usual and louder than normal, adding he was
    familiar with the sound of aircraft flying overhead because he had
    lived close to the final approach of Runway 32 at the airport for
    several years.

    According to the report, the witness described the sound as
    “smooth and continuous” with no change in the aircraft noise. After
    the helicopter flew over his home, the witness “heard the sound of
    an explosion.”

    Despite the explosion, the report indicates all major components
    of the helicopter were located and accounted for at the scene. The
    initial point of impact was in a treetop 50 feet above the ground
    on level terrain.

    “There were several pieces of angularly cut wood along the
    wreckage path,” according to the report, “and several trees with
    fire damage and long, angular slices along their trunks.”

    The report adds a large tree 15 inches in diameter was broken
    off about 25 feet above the ground, with sheets of material
    embedded into its trunk. Both engines and four rotor blades were
    also extensively damaged by the fire.

    Earlier in the report, it indicates at one point that Schulz was
    on the wrong heading for Bradford Regional on his final approach to
    the facility.

    In a conversation with an air traffic controller at Cleveland
    Center, the controller states “Say your heading … I’ve got you
    heading the wrong way for Bradford.”

    Responding, Schulz said “Seven yankee lima … currently two four
    six on the heading.”

    “And you’re heading to Bradford, B-F-D, Bradford, P-A?” the
    controller said.

    “Affirmative,” Schulz responded back to the controller.

    At the time of approach, Schulz was using Instrument Flight
    Rules (IRL), in which the pilot relies solely on his instruments to
    land. The weather at the Mount Alton airport the night of the crash
    was overcast, with 2 1/2 miles of visibility.

    “I’ve got you on the right side of the I-L-S,” the controller
    radioed to Schulz.

    ” … I should be able to rejoin,” Schulz replied.

    Later, the controller again asks if Schulz is “established on
    the I-L-S?”

    “Recapturing,” Schulz said. “You say affirmative?” the
    controller replied. “Affirmative” Schulz responded.

    The report later indicates the helicopter’s track was
    approaching the runway’s centerline, and then turned sharply away
    from and to the right of its inbound course. The track showed an
    approximate heading of 100 degrees when the helicopter disappeared
    from radar. The last radar plot showed the aircraft over the crash
    site at 4,300 feet above sea level, one mile east of the extended
    runway centerline and four miles from the airport.

    According to the report, the pilot’s logbook was not recovered
    at the scene, however, flight times were taken from company
    records. In the 90 days prior to the accident, Schulz logged 56
    hours of total time, all of which was in the Augusta 109E
    helicopter. He also logged more than 25 hours of flight experience
    at night.

    Previously, officials with CJ Systems Aviation Group of West
    Mifflin, who contracted to provide the LifeStar service out of St.
    Vincent and Hamot Medical centers in Erie, said Schulz was a very
    experienced pilot, logging more than 9,000 flight hours.

    All told, the helicopter had accrued 1,905 total airframe hours
    and its most recent inspection was done on Aug. 5 of this year.

    A final report into the crash will likely be released in six
    months.

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