REGINA — One of the province’s three air ambulances is out of commission after an accident occurred during a Jan. 3 landing in Maple Creek.
But another government plane is being converted and fitted with a stretcher system, so it can be used while the damaged aircraft is assessed, government officials said Tuesday. The conversion is expected to be complete by the weekend.
There were no injuries in the Jan. 3 incident, in which a Beechcraft King Air 200 encountered a bigger than anticipated volume of snow on the runway, said Chris Oleson, executive director of flight operations with Government Services.
The plane had been landing in Maple Creek to pick up a patient, who was transported by other means that same afternoon to a hospital in Regina for specialized care.
“The pilot lost control of the airplane during the landing sequence and it left the runway. In the skid off the runway, the nose wheel collapsed and the propellers struck the ground running. So there’s substantial damage to the airplane,” Oleson said.
It could be three to six months before the plane is back in service, he said. The cost of repairs, which could top $1 million, will be covered by insurance.
The government said that damage to the nose landing gear means it cannot be flown from Maple Creek to a repair facility, and the plane will have to either be repaired on site or moved by truck to a repair facility.
The province’s air ambulance service, based in Saskatoon, does about 1,400 to 1,500 flights a year, Oleson said.
The NDP Opposition on Tuesday raised concerns that the province was operating with just two air ambulances and questioned what was being done to ensure timely care.
Deb Jordan, executive director of acute and emergency services with the Ministry of Health, said the province has the ability to work with the private sector for access to additional air ambulance capacity when necessary.
“Even in the normal course of business we do call on them from time to time for some support, and so it’s business as usual in terms of the immediate care for patients in the province who require air ambulance services,” Jordan said.
In the 2010 throne speech, the Saskatchewan Party government raised the possibility of adding helicopter ambulance service in the province. Premier Brad Wall said in October that the government is working with the Alberta-based Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service, or STARS, program on a potential plan.
