Investigators are still working to determine what a Bryan-based medical helicopter struck early Sunday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in San Antonio.
Officials think the PHI Air Med 12 helicopter based at St. Joseph hospital in Bryan hit a cellphone tower around 3:30 a.m. while transporting a patient to San Antonio Military Medical Center, but they have been unable to locate the tower, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford.
The accident caused the helicopter to lose part of its landing gear, and the pilot declared an emergency and was referred to San Antonio International Airport, Lunsford said.
San Antonio Fire Department aviation division captain Kevin Campbell helped direct the emergency response team.
"[The pilot] was asking us if we had anything that he could land on that we could provide," Campbell said. "Then he came up with the mattress idea."
The pilot requested three to four mattresses that would serve as the missing skid and allow for a balanced landing.
"I said 'Yeah, we got mattresses, but how is this going to work?'" Campbell said.
Firefighters provided four mattresses from their dorms and added six 45-pound weights to hold the mattresses in place,
"We stacked three up, and the pilot gave us a thumbs-up," Campbell said.
After the crew and patient landed safely, the patient was taken by another helicopter to San Antonio Military Medical Center, said Dewey Mitchell, a spokesman for the medical center.
"All the credit goes to the pilot," Campbell said. "We're glad we could assist."
Because of privacy laws, officials would not release any information about the patient, who was being transferred from College Station Medical Center.
Lunsford said the investigation could take up to several months. Investigators will determine what was struck, if it was properly lit and at what altitude the helicopter was flying.
According to the FAA website, construction of such towers is a major concern: "Often these towers do not have lights or other marking devices, and they are just under 200 feet tall -- falling outside FAA regulations governing tall structures."
Copyright 2012 - The Eagle, Bryan, Texas
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
