Survival Flight is a University of Michigan Hospital airlift service for the seriously injured and for organ transplant patients.
Survival Flight leases three twin-engine Eurocopter EC-155B1 Helicopters, two for use 24 hours a day, and the other for organ procurement. The service also has a Cessna Citation Encore CE-560 that primarily serves the Upper Peninsula. One helicopter is stationed 24/7 at Livingston County Airport.
Primary and secondary landing pads are at the U-M Hospital off East Medical Center Drive near the University Medical Center Emergency entrance.
2007 Crash
On June 4, 2007, at about 4:00pm CST, a Cessna Citation 550, N550BP plane crashed into Lake Michigan after taking off from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport. Six people, including two pilots and four U-M organ transplant team memberes, were killed. According to the NTSB report, "evidence indicated that the two most likely scenarios were a runaway trim or the inadvertent engagement of the autopilot, rather than the yaw damper, at takeoff," but pilot error and maintenance problems also contributed significantly to the accident.
Killed in the accident were doctors David Ashburn and Martinus Spoor, transplant technicians Richard Chenault and Rick LaPensee and pilots Dennis Hoyes and Bill Serra.
Marlin Air filed a lawsuit in 2008 against U-M for more than $1 million for terminating its contract after the crash. U-M settled the lawsuit in September 2008 for $350,000.
References
- U-M remembers six crew members killed 5 years ago in Survival Flight plane crash, AnnArbor.com, June 2012
- http://www.annarbor.com/news/university-of-michigan-to-introduce-new-survival-flight-plane-to-up/
- http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/01/um_sued_for_terminating_contra.html
- http://ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2009/091014.html
- http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2008/09/um_agrees_to_settlement_of_law.html
- National Transportation Safety Board animation of Marlin Air Cessna Citation Accident Investigation Near Milwaukee Wisconsin
