by Jim Walsh - Jun. 30, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic
FLAGSTAFF - Six people were killed and three were injured Sunday after two helicopters collided near a Flagstaff hospital and set off an explosion that blasted emergency responders off their feet, federal and local authorities said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said no bystanders on the ground were hurt. No names have been released. Officials are still trying to reach the victims' families.
The crash occurred less than 48 hours after another medical helicopter crash-landed about 30 miles outside Prescott, injuring its crew of three.
It is the second deadly helicopter collision in Arizona in a year. Last July, four people in two news copters were killed. Their aircraft collided as they were tracking a low-speed police chase through Phoenix.
A Coconino County sheriff's spokesman, Gerry Blair, called the Flagstaff collision "unprecedented" for the city, and said he believes it's the biggest mass-casualty event in its history.
Local police and fire officials were called to the crash scene near Flagstaff Medical Center at 3:48 p.m. Both helicopters were headed for the hospital and were less than a mile away from the facility when they hit and spun out of control over a forested area that's a popular spot for bicyclists and hikers.
Fire officials said one landed on Switzer Mesa - also called McMillan Mesa - and exploded soon after they arrived. The other landed downhill in a tangle of debris.
A patient was among the three passengers who died in the Bell 407 helicopter operated by a Colorado company, Air Methods, based in Colorado, Gregor said. Another three were killed and one was injured in the other aircraft, a Bell 407 run by Classic Helicopter Service of Utah.
Two paramedics responding to the crash suffered burns to their hands and were taken to Flagstaff Medical for treatment. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
Capt. Mark Johnson, a Flagstaff Fire Department spokesman, said one of his co-workers, Capt. Ray Gonzalez, was running up the hill toward one of the downed helicopters near Turquoise and Forest roads when he was struck by a blast.
"He said it felt like someone had pulled his feet out from under him," Johnson said.
John Kincade of Flagstaff was spending the afternoon with his family at a nearby park when he saw the helicopters hit and fall. A woman who looked to be a patient was ejected from one of the aircraft.
Kincade said he ran to help but found she had no pulse. Seconds later, the explosion hit and threw a firefighter 15 or 20 feet in the air. Officials said started a brush fire that burned about 10 acres before fire crews contained it about 90 minutes later.
"Even if I had all the training in the world, there was nothing I could have done," Kincade said.
The helicopter downhill from the mesa was so badly wrecked by the impact that firefighters spent 20 minutes trying to extricate the victims.
Two people managed to escape but were hurt by the nearby explosion. They were expected to survive and are likely in good condition, said Blair, of the Coconino County Sheriff's Office.
Gregor said FAA and National Transportation and Safety Board authorities have been called to the scene to determine what happened.
The devastating collision has stunned law enforcement and fire officials, who said they cannot imagine what led to the crash.
"It was calm. It was clear. There was no wind," Johnson said.
Conditions were similar in last year's crash that killed pilots Craig Smith and Scott Bowerbank, and TV cameramen Jim Cox and Rich Krolak.
In a preliminary report on the July 27 crash, the NTSB said the Channel 3 helicopter was hovering when the Channel 15 craft struck it, causing the crash. A final report is expected this summer.
Republic reporter Lily Leung contributed to this article.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/06/30/20080630helicoptercrash0630.html
