Agusta A109S Grand crash near Cabra, Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain

The air ambulance had landed on the football pitch at the María Dolores Jiménez Guardeño sports centre in Cabra to collect a patient from a waiting ambulance. With the patient loaded and the stretcher anchored, the pilot began the engine start sequence while the HEMS crew member carried out the external inspection. Noticing the patient's blood oxygen was falling, the medical team moved to administer oxygen; as the valve on the cylinder was opened there was a sound like an explosion and a fire started on the left side of the cabin. The medical team evacuated through the right door. The HEMS crew member reached into the flames to free the stretcher release, then to loosen the belt securing the patient, freeing his torso though his legs remained trapped; he and the paramedic together got the patient out. The pilot shut down the engines and evacuated as the fire spread. The patient, the HEMS crew member and the paramedic suffered serious burns; the pilot and doctor were unhurt. The helicopter was destroyed. The patient died of his injuries on 1 October 2024. Investigated by CIAIAC as A-024/2024.