A LifeSaver program helicopter crashed last night near Birmingham, Alabama, killing two of three crew aboard. The surviving crewmember, a flight medic, was in critical, but stable condition at a local hospital. The Airbus EC130T2, registered as N231SH, was attempting a scene pickup of a hiker in distress when it crashed while attempting to land.
The Air Methods-operated aircraft was dispatched from the Sylacauga airport (KSCD) at approximately 5:54 p.m. local time and crashed 27 minutes later. Tracking from FlightAware shows the helicopter, “LifeSaver 4,” flew orbits over the scene for approximately 16 minutes prior to the accident and had slowed to a forward speed of 16 knots just before impact. The aircraft went down near Highway 280 and Bear Creek Road in Shelby County.
Wreckage photos show the helicopter resting on its left side across pavement and grass next to a fence and a wooded area. The cabin is largely intact, but the cabin windows are discolored. There is evidence of a post-crash fire aft and forward of the engine compartment, the tail boom cracked where it attaches to the aft bulkhead, and the main rotor blades are snapped off.