PENOBSCOT, Maine — An unanticipated mechanical issue caused an emergency landing of a LifeFlight helicopter on Saturday night.
According to a release from the LifeFlight of Maine, at around 6:45 p.m. a LifeFlight pilot had to make an emergency landing when the helicopter began to experience mechanical issues with three crew members and a patient on board.
With the use of night vision goggles, the crew and pilot found a safe landing zone and landed the helicopter uneventfully.
The crew was able to maintain care of the patient during the time that LifeFlight made arrangements to dispatch an ambulance from Blue Hill for the patient and LifeFlight crew.
The patient was transferred safely to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.
“While we work to never incur an emergency, we rely on our aircraft, safety systems, and pilot training, experience, and skills” explained LifeFlight of Maine Executive Director Thomas Judge.
According to the release, a team from SevenBar Aviation, the company that operates LifeFlight’s aviation services and provides its pilots and mechanics, completed an initial evaluation on-site and secured the helicopter.
“Safety is always first and foremost in LifeFlight’s operations,” added Judge. “People from across Maine, in their most vulnerable moments, entrust us with their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Every day we strive to be worthy of that trust.”