ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 318393
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| Date: | Sunday 24 July 1977 |
| Time: | 22:30 |
| Type: |  Bell 205A-1 |
| Owner/operator: | Los Angeles County Fire Department |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Mill Creek Heliport, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Fire fighting |
| Departure airport: | Mill Creek Heliport, CA |
| Mill Creek Heliport, CA | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A County Fire Department Bell 205A-1 and a Bell 212 operated for the US Forest Service collided in mid-air during night-time firefighting activities.
Both were on final approach to the Mill Creek Heliport, CA.
The mishap investigation revealed that navigation lights on all helicopters were observed “on” during the night operation. It was found that air traffic separation and sequencing procedures were not clearly defined. The South Zone Forest Service Helicopter Management Officer had reservations about the procedures of flying three helicopters out of one helibase at night. The Helicopter Manager and the County FD Air Officer agreed it was feasible to operate three helicopters out of the helibase that night. Neither of these two personnel were a part of the formal Forest Service organization at the time. Their agreement to fly three helicopters out of the one helibase was accepted and implemented by the Helibase Manager, whose authority it was to authorize such activity.
Both Forest Service Forest and Air Net frequencies were overloaded with radio traffic. This interfered with communications between helicopters and the helibase. Because of the problems in making radio contact with personnel on the fire lines, the pilots and the Helibase Manager could not determine the locations for priority water drops.
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/2840945_United_States_Department_of_Agriculture_Forest_Service
https://www.lacountyfiremuseum.com/memorial/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Jul-2023 12:45 | harro | Added |
| 27-Jul-2023 17:07 | harro | Updated |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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