Pilot sighting Audio

[Debi]

Air Controller Wowed By Pilot's Ability To See Mystery Object Over Las Vegas With Night Vision (Updated)

Around 9pm local time on Saturday, March 16th, 2019, an air ambulance helicopter was flying roughly 15 miles west of central Last Vegas when something odd caught his aided eye. During an exchange with an air traffic controller, the pilot of Mercy Air 21, an Agusta 119 Koala helicopter, noted spotting an unidentified object some distance from his position and only he was likely able to see it in the darkness as he was wearing night vision goggles (NVGs). The controller responded that he had nothing on radar in the area where he was seeing the object, but when he heard the pilot could only see it through his NVGs, he responded with amazement.

Our good friend @Aircraftspots mentioned the odd exchange on twitter and posted the audio to Soundcloud, which you can listen to in full below. Apparently, he was tipped off to it by fellow Twitter user and aviation aficionado @KE6ZGP.



Full story at link.

 

[Duke]

This makes no sense to me. Why would a chopper pilot be wearing NVGs that close to Las Vegas, probably the most light polluted city in the world? I've driven into Vegas from southern Utah late at night on a number of occasions, you can see the Vegas lights an hour out.

 

[Debi]

OK, reading down to the updates, I gotta ask. Was he incoming or outgoing from Vegas? Were the lights at his back? They state 9 miles out. Far enough if lights behind him?

 

[Duke]

OK, reading down to the updates, I gotta ask. Was he incoming or outgoing from Vegas? Were the lights at his back? They state 9 miles out. Far enough if lights behind him?

A lot of variables, including altitude and flight attitude. Also a function of what grade/generation of NVGs he was using. Frankly I'm surprised a commercial helo even has NVG compatible displays. I've worn early generation aircrew NVGs and they were very susceptible to ambient, even cursory light sources, but they had a very narrow field of view also. Not sure what this pilot was flying with. I would also assume he had a copilot who was not using googles.

 

[TonyM]

I know of no commercial helicopter flights where the pilot(s), use NVG. Many companies offer flights over Las Vegas at all times of day and night and several friends of mine have done these tours. As Duke says this make no sense to me either.

 

[Duke]

Just to clarify, I'm not saying this didn't happen, or that the pilot wasn't wearing NVGs. I can see medical evacuation missions these guys fly where NVGs would be a great advantage, if not almost necessary, trying to land in the dark with ground level electric wires and other obstructions in the area. I can also tell you from personal experience the desert out a ways from Vegas beyond the mountains can get darker than the inside of a boot, so I can see having NVGs out there. My surprise was using them that close to Vegas.

 

[Debi]

Update from original story:

Update: March 18th, 2019 @ 6:19pm PST—

We finally talked to the Mercy Air operations base where the helicopter flies out of and they informed us that Air Methods headquarters has told them not provide comment or access to the pilot who was talking on the radio and spotted the object. They told us Air Methods wants any inquiries sent to their headquarters. The problem is that I had reached out to them and have heard nothing back in well over 24 hours. I will keep trying to contact them directly, but at this point it looks as if they are actively trying to avoid discussing the event with us.