‘Hard Landing’ by Firefighters’ Chopper Raises Safety Worries

The safety of the Los Angeles Fire Department’s helicopter fleet is again being questioned after a Saturday accident involving a chopper similar to one that crashed in March.

Engine failure during a routine training flight at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday forced the pilot to land without power in a canyon north of Pacific Palisades. None of the three firefighters on board were injured, beyond a sprained ankle.

Firefighters union president Ken Buzzell said the 25-year-old helicopter was one that the department had wanted to replace for several years. He criticized the department for not releasing information about the accident, which the department has called a “hard landing.”

“That helicopter’s older than some members of the department. We’ve been demanding replacement for years, but it’s fallen on deaf ears,” Buzzell said.

The helicopter, the oldest in the department’s fleet, is similar to the 22-year-old chopper that crashed last March in Griffith Park, killing three firefighters and an 11-year-old girl they were flying to a hospital.

Fire Department and federal transportation officials are investigating the cause of the latest accident and have not released any preliminary findings.

At a news conference Monday, Fire Chief William Bamattre said that during the Saturday night exercise, the helicopter had landed briefly on Sullivan Fire Road in Topanga State Park to allow crew members to switch seats. Seconds after the helicopter took off, the engine began to vibrate and lose power, which prompted the pilot to shut the motor off and land the helicopter in Rustic Canyon, Bamattre said.

The mechanical problem appears unrelated to the failure of the helicopter in March, which stemmed from failure of the tail rotor assembly, Bamattre said.

The department did not immediately notify news organizations of the accident, he said, because its media relations staff was busy providing information about a major brush fire in Porter Ranch.

Monday’s news conference, Bamattre said, was called because “certain groups are alleging we’ve been trying to cover up,” the accident. Bamattre declined to say whether he was referring to the firefighters union, but said “there is no separation between the union and management concerning safety.” He added, “I am concerned that people are trying to use individual accidents to promote individual agendas.”

The Bell 205 A-1 helicopter was due to be replaced before the end of 2000, Bamattre said. It probably was damaged beyond repair by the hard landing, he said.

The Fire Department has asked the City Council to buy new helicopters nearly every year since 1990, without success.

After the March crash, the City Council approved an upgrade of safety equipment in the department’s six helicopters. But the equipment, including better safety harnesses, had yet to be installed in the helicopter that crashed Saturday.

Buzzell said that if the helicopter that failed Saturday had landed on its side instead of being cushioned by an empty aluminum water tank under its belly, the crew could have been killed.

“They’re lucky it landed upright. Without the restraints, we could have buried more of our members,” he said.

Assistant Fire Chief Dean E. Cathey said all choppers in the fleet have four-point restraints for the pilot and co-pilot, but some, including the one that crashed Saturday, don’t have them for passengers. Thus, one crew member had only a lap belt, which would have been replaced with a better restraint when the new safety equipment was installed. Cathey said the improved safety devices have been ordered and are being manufactured now.

Cathey said there “is certainly potential” that crew members could have been injured more severely had the helicopter’s landing not been cushioned by its skids and water tank. But he said Buzzell’s claim was “way off base; it’s hypothetical.”