AirHeart Regional Air Ambulance - Fatal accident

DATE	
	October 20, 2004 00:45 CDT

PROGRAM	
	AirHeart Regional Air Ambulance

VENDOR	
	Metro Aviation

ADDRESS	
	37 Sheriff Drive
	Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

WEATHER	
	Surrounding weather reporting stations reporting 1200 ft broken and 7
	miles visibility

AIRCRAFT_TYPE	
	Eurocopter BO 105

TAIL#	
	N916SH

INJURIES	
	Tom Palcic, Pilot - fatal
	Jack Chase, Flight Nurse - fatal
	Robert Heighton, Flight Paramedic - fatal
	

DESCRIPTION	
	At 00:40 hrs the flight team was requested to transport a cardiac
	patient from a hospital in DeFuniak Springs, Florida to a hospital in
	Pensacola, Florida.  At 00:42 hrs the flight team reported that they
	had encountered some unforecasted weather and that they were
	returning to base.  That was the last transmission.  The Aircraft was
	found in the Choctawatchee Bay approximately 3 miles North of the Base
	in about 7 feet of water.  There were no survivors.

ADDITIONAL INFO	
	The funeral arrangements and memorial service arrangements will be
	forthcoming.

SOURCE	
	Randy Layman, CMTE  Director of Flight Operations

VIA	
	David Kearns, CONCERN Coordinator
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The CONCERN network shares verified information to alert medical
transport programs when an accident / incident has occurred.
Please share the above information with your program staff. If
you have further questions, please contact the CONCERN Coordinator,
David Kearns at 800 525 3712 or email: coordinator@concern-network.org.