Helicopter Crash Likely Preventable Thorough Maintenance Could Have Averted Crash That Paralyzed Pilot, Company Says
The pilot of the logging helicopter that crashed near Fourth of July Pass on Aug. 12 is paralyzed as a result of the accident, hospital officials said Tuesday.
And more thorough maintenance likely could have prevented the crash, according to the company that licensed the Bell Model 205 helicopter.
Pilot Jay Worman, 39, was transferred from Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Aug. 14. He is listed in serious condition in the intensive care unit, said Larry Zalin, Harborview spokesman.
Worman is being treated for abdominal injuries and spinal injuries that have paralyzed his legs, Zalin said.
Worman was ferrying logs out of a U.S. Forest Service timber sale north of Fourth of July Pass for Wescor Forest Products. Wescor leased the helicopter and the pilot’s services from Northwest Helicopters.
Witnesses say the tail rotor on the aircraft, key to keeping it from spinning out of control, appeared to stop working just before the helicopter went down in the trees.
A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates the vertical fin of the craft was separating from the tail boom, which would account for the tail rotor stopping and the subsequent accident.
An early review of Northwest Helicopters’ records show the helicopter was appropriately maintained, said Gregg Neseimeier, a NTSB investigator.
Northwest Helicopters officials could not be reached for comment. But others say keeping a closer eye on the helicopter would have prevented the crash.
“At this time, without further investigation, it’s our opinion that the aircraft lacked maintenance and inspection in that particular area,” said Ron Garlick, president of Garlick Helicopters, of Hamilton, Mont.
Garlick’s company converts helicopters for logging, firefighting and movie making. The company licensed the conversion of the helicopter from military use to civilian use but didn’t do the actual work.
“It’s pre-existing damage or a matter of a fatigue fracture not detected by concurrent and thorough inspection,” Garlick added. “These things don’t just break.”
Northwest Helicopters is a good, reputable company, he said.
Federal Aviation Administration officials concur and FAA records show Northwest never has been cited.
Garlick estimates there are about 100 of the Bell helicopters, originally built for military use, now being used for logging.
, DataTimes