Lone Survivor in Ariz. Medical Helicopter Crash Tried to Save Others
The injured, lone survivor of an air-ambulance crash had worked to save a dying colleague and used a flashlight to successfully attract the attention of emergency personnel searching for the helicopter that crashed Tuesday night in rugged, snow-covered terrain in the Superstition Mountains, authorities said Wednesday.
Native Air Ambulance medic Derek Boehm, 38, of Gilbert, was critically injured in the crash that claimed the lives of pilot David Schneider, 51, of Gilbert, and flight nurse Chad Frary, 38, of Mesa, according to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
The area where the crash occurred, about 20 miles east of Apache Junction and north of Superior, is so difficult to reach that it took a military helicopter to rescue Boehm, Sheriff Paul Babeu said.
The Native Air chopper was reported missing at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Crews found the copter's wreckage 2 1/2 hours later and rescued the lone survivor from the mountainside shortly after 10 p.m.
"It's surprising that there was a survivor, and we are grateful for that," Babeu said Wednesday morning.
The aircraft was traveling from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Globe when it crashed in a remote part of the Superstitions. No patients were on the flight.
Babeu said Boehm signaled to rescue teams using a flashlight and was taken to a Phoenix trauma hospital in very serious condition. By noon Wednesday, officials said Boehm was listed in fair condition.
One of the deceased victims initially showed signs of life after the crash, Babeu added. Boehm attempted lifesaving measures, but the man died before rescue teams could reach the scene, the sheriff said.
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances.
Air Methods, which owns the company operating the aircraft, said the helicopter was an Airbus AS350 B3.
According to the Airbus company website, the almost 5-ton, single-engine helicopter can reach speeds of more than 150 mph. It can hold a pilot and five to six passengers and is favored for law enforcement, medical services and civilian use.
"We are deeply saddened by the news that two of our crew members were taken from us, and our hearts go out to their family and loved ones," Air Methods spokeswoman Christina Brodsly said Wednesday.
Globe Fire Chief Al Gameros said that one of the crew members killed in the crash was a well-known "outgoing and positive" presence in the city who would often participate in fundraisers and other events.
"It hits hard. We would interface with them all of the time," Gameros said. "I'm shocked to hear of what transpired. It's just a horrible tragedy and we're having a hard time dealing with it."
One of the victims, Frary, had previously been an emergency-room nurse at the Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center in Globe. His former colleagues described Frary as dedicated and modest.
"I'll miss him. He was a friendly guy who never got into anyone's way," said Dr. Peter Michalak, who worked with Frary for 10 years. "He tried to help people, and he always gave good care to his patients."
Michalak said he was visiting with Frary, of Mesa, mere hours before the fatal crash. Some in the emergency room cried after hearing of Frary's death.
Sandra Wills, of Globe, said Frary treated her son, Seth Franco, in the emergency room at Cobre Valley after he was accidentally shot in the head three years ago. The grateful family made a point to visit Frary each Dec. 13, the anniversary of the accident.
They were unable to connect this year, she said.
"Chad put together fundraisers and all kind of stuff," Wills said. "If it wasn't for him, I don't know what I would have done."
Gregor said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the deadly crash. An FAA safety inspector was en route to the crash site.
Gregor added that the Safety Board will lead the investigation and that the agency likely would take months, if not longer, to determine the cause of the crash.
"It's just a real human tragedy," said Gary Robb, a Kansas City, Mo.-based aviation-crash attorney. "They're all too frequent."
Robb has handled aviation crashes for more than 30 years and said the NTSB's investigations are very thorough and typically last 12 to 18 months.
He said investigators usually look at three primary factors: human, machine and environment.
They check the pilot for training and impairment, Robb said. They inspect the mechanical records and the condition of the aircraft and analyze the environment at the time of the crash.
Rugged, mountainous terrain, dark nights and foggy, cold weather could all be factors that lead to an "unintended flight into ground" crash, he said.
Air Methods Corp., headquartered in Englewood, Colo., provides air-medical transport and other flight services, including tourism operations. It also designs, makes and installs medical spaces and structures for aircraft interiors.
Patient transport and related medical-flight services represent nearly 75 percent of the company’s revenue, with tourism and charter services most of the rest. The company provides tourism operations in and around the Grand Canyon and Hawaiian Islands.
The company has been consistently profitable in recent quarters, earning $108 million or $2.73 a share on revenue of $1.06 billion over its past four quarters. Its shares, which trade in the stock market under the symbol AIRM, are worth about $1.7 billion combined.
In the normal course of business, Air Methods said, it faces legal claims resulting from helicopter accidents, billing-reimbursement disputes, employee-relations issues and claims alleging negligent medical care and transport.
“To date, no claims of these types of litigation, certain of which are covered by insurance policies, have had a material effect on us,” the company said in its annual 10K investor report filed earlier this year.
Reporters Russ Wiles and Garrett Mitchell contributed to this article.
