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Rescue attempt interrupted by helicopter fire Accident victim, crew safe after emergency landing at airport By JILL BRISKEY Fire erupted in the engine of a Mercy Flights helicopter Saturday afternoon, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at the Medford airport with an injured passenger on board. In addition to the passenger - a female teenager injured in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Griffin Lane - a flight nurse and paramedic were also onboard when the emergency landing took place. According to airport spokeswoman Kim Stearns, nobody involved was injured in the incident. "The pilot kept his head and made very wise decisions," she said. "He did what he was trained to do and did it well." Around 5 p.m., Stearns said a call came into the airport that the helicopter - a BO105 with two engines - was making an emergency landing. "He had some indication that something was going on," Stearns said. "A system had warned him that there was a problem." A small fire apparently broke out in the aircraft's number one engine, according to a statement released by Mercy Flights. Stearns said initially the pilot noticed smoke. She said flames became visible as the aircraft landed. In "a matter of seconds," the crew were evacuated and the flames stomped out by airport fire crews. The teenager was transported to Providence Medford Medical Center for treatment by a ground ambulance. According to Deputy Phil Cicero of the Jackson County Sheriff's Department, the onboard passenger was one of five teens who sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on Griffin Lane which took place around 4 p.m. Cicero said a 19-year-old local man was driving a 1967 Ford pickup along a downhill, winding stretch of Griffin Lane when the breaks reportedly failed. Two boys and two girls, all 15, were seated in the open cab. The driver and a 15 year old male passenger inside the cab were both wearing seat belts. "(The driver) tried to brake but couldn't," Cicero said. "He tried to turn into an embankment to slow down and ended up rolling down a steep hill." The four teenagers in the cab were thrown from the vehicle as the truck rolled several times. One male teen was impaled in the leg by a stick. The youths in the cab and the passenger were transported to Providence for treatment. None of the injuries appeared to be serious, Cicero added. "It doesn't look like there will be any citations," he added. "It looks like a mechanical problem ... they were all very lucky." Reach reporter Jill Briskey at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.