By Imran Ghori
The Press Enterprise
Copyright 2006 The Press Enterprise, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Two days after a helicopter crash claimed the lives of a three-person crew, an air ambulance service resumed operations Tuesday with almost half of its Southern California fleet back in the air.
“We would anticipate having them all back up in the next day or two,” said Craig Yale, vice president of corporate development for Air Methods Corp., the parent company for Mercy Air Services Inc.
The company grounded its fleet following the Sunday evening crash that killed the Victorville-based crew of pilot Paul LaTour, 46, of Apple Valley; flight nurse Katrina J. Kish, 42, of Yucaipa; and paramedic Jerald W. Miller, 40, of Apple Valley.
Of eight Mercy Air helicopters based in Southern California, three were flying missions Tuesday while a Las Vegas-based helicopter covered for the Victorville crew.
The Bell 412 helicopter went down shortly before 6 p.m. in a foggy, hilly area near the summit of the Cajon Pass, as it was returning to base from Loma Linda University Medical Center. The crew had dropped off a woman who had fallen off her horse about 4:30 p.m. in the Phelan area.
Yale said the company made counselors available to its staff and is reviewing each team to “make sure people are going to be able to operate safely and focus on their duties.
“Most people are ready to go back up and serve,” he said.
Equipment safety teams also were conducting their regular inspections of all aircraft, Yale said.
Meanwhile, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board continued to comb through the wreckage Tuesday with a team of experts that flew in from Washington, D.C.; Dallas; and Quebec, Canada. Representatives from the helicopter and engine manufacturers were among them.
Patrick Jones, an NTSB air-safety investigator leading the investigation, said he hoped to have a preliminary report early next week.
The team is expected to conclude its on-site investigation today and will transport the wreckage to a recovery yard for further examination, Jones said.
Normally, investigators would attempt to reconstruct the aircraft, but that’s unlikely, Yale said.
“Quite a bit of it is gone,” he said.
The helicopter burst into flames after crashing into rugged terrain in the area of Oak Hills, leaving only a few scattered parts in a charred hillside below a large electrical transmission tower.
Jones said there was no indication that the helicopter hit the electrical tower or the power lines above.
The helicopter had never been in any accidents or incidents, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Federal records show three “service difficulty reports” from 1997, 2004 and 2005.
The aircraft made one unscheduled landing because of mechanical difficulties. In another incident, the crew heard an unusual noise while shutting down the engine after landing. All of the incidents involved replacing individual parts, such as a hydraulic pump.
Fire officials who responded to the crash Sunday night said the area had heavy fog that drifted in and out, hampering visibility.
James Ladue, a flight instructor for M.I. Air, a flight school that operates out of Redlands Municipal Airport and until a couple years ago trained helicopter pilots, said the Cajon Pass is usually a bumpy ride.
The area is known for high wind, turbulence and fog, Ladue said.
“It’s really rare to have a clear day,” Ladue said.
Laura Rosell, a family friend speaking for the LaTour family, - which include his wife, Christie, and two grown children - were devastated by the loss.
A retired military pilot, LaTour had flown for Mercy for a year.
“At the time of his death, Paul was doing something he loved - serving others,” Rosell said. “As a pilot for Mercy Air, he was able to combine two of his loves. He really enjoyed flying.”
Kish, whose husband, Tim, is a fire captain with Riverside County Fire Department, had been with the company for seven years. Tim Wessel, North Desert Division chief for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, who responded to the crash Sunday evening and knew Kish, described her as a dedicated nurse.
“She was very enthusiastic and excited about doing the job,” he said.
Miller had been with the company for two years and was married a few months ago.
Miller’s wife and daughter were “the apples of his eye, just the world to him,” Victorville fire Capt. Pete Lawson said.
Lawson and the other firefighters had a standing joke with Miller, referencing a Ben Stiller movie, “Meet the Parents.” They had formed a “circle of trust,” and joked that they were in it, and he was on the outside. But that was far from the truth. The men acted like brothers.
“He was way inside the circle,” Lawson said. “If you like somebody, you mess with them. There’s no doubt that every person at that fire station cares for and cared for those people on the helicopter.”
A memorial fund has been established for the families of the crew members. Donations can be made at any Bank of America location to the “Mercy Air Flight Crew Fund.” For information, call 909-829-7009.