Published January 04. 2017 02:46PM
A PennSTAR helicopter that struck wires while en route to St. Luke's Miners Campus last week has been moved.
The medical helicopter was moved on Tuesday, according to Susan Phillips, Senior Vice President for Public Affairs at Penn Medicine.No one was injured during the incident, which saw the helicopter run into power lines while on approach to the campus at 2:20 a.m. Thursday.While the hospital did not lose power, some local residents did, though a power company restored power to all who were impacted that day by 9 a.m.The helicopter landed safely, there were no injuries to any helicopter personnel, and no patients were on board the helicopter.The patient was transported by ground without delay, and there was no disruption in patient care.The helicopter is owned and operated by Metro Aviation.Bob Higgins, program director for PennSTAR, said that the helicopter has been removed from service until a complete mechanical inspection can be performed.He said the pilot involved in the incident has "well over the average (flight time experience)" and is "very experienced."All pilots are required to have a minimum of 2,000 hours of pilot-in-command experience as well as additional certification to fly for PennSTAR.