Narrative:

I am a new charter pilot but experienced citation pilot. My copilot was an old hand but new to the citation. We showed up early am at ZZZ to pick up passenger who showed up while we were taking on fuel. 2 uninformed medical attendants and 2 'civilian' women were the passenger. The medical attendants brought a stretcher and some medical equipment and 2 bottles of medical oxygen aboard. My copilot energetically helped them load the stretcher while one of the attendants said 'it fit easier in this plane last time.' between (1) the old-hand's attitude, 2) the attendant's comment about 'last time,' 3) the fact that we have contracts with several medical companies for flying around medical personnel and their equipment, 4) I was told by a management person that we would be getting certified for air ambulance flts, I figured this was ok, but made them properly secure that stretcher and leave the emergency exit open. We are ok for medical oxygen as long as the user of that oxygen was on board, but there is another section of our operations manual that allows it if packed and secured properly. So we took off for our flight down to san diego lindbergh. When in san diego I started to get suspicious when I heard more from my copilot about what the medical personnel told him. I then called my chief pilot and told him the situation and asked if this was all right to do, I did not think so at this point. He said that he wasn't sure but would look into it and to go ahead and finish the flight back to ZZZ. He sounded reasonable and certain so I assumed this wasn't as much of a problem as I thought. The non-ambulatory, 300 pound patient was secured in the stretcher which was secured to 2 seats with seat belts. Getting him into and out of the plane was difficult for the attendants. This patient was hooked up to oxygen and several tubes with devices attached, in pretty bad shape. The flight went very smoothly except for a scuffed seat, etc. As we unloaded the patient I was only mildly reassured by the fact that it was a miserable, rainy day and no one was at the airport, especially the local air-ambulance company, which may have refused to fly this guy because of his weight (according to my copilot). I have since talked to company management about this and have been informed that it will never happen again, and that they are taking steps to make sure all pilots, dispatchers and management are notified not to take anything resembling an air ambulance flight. I sure won't! Before I started working here, there were a number of 'unusual' operations at this company, but the current director of operations and chief pilot are working sincerely and successfully to correct the situation which is a comfort to we pilots. I am backed up by management for the decisions I make regarding takeoff weights, wet runways, WX judgements, etc, and feel no pressure to do anything foolish or illegal, which is why it was foolish for me to do this. Have you ever noticed that when you bring order into a confused situation parts of the confusion jump out to bite you as you clean things up. I look at this day as a remnant of the old attitude at this company surfacing to take its 'bite' while generally everything is improving greatly. I was initially fooled into this by the self-assured attitude of our dispatcher and the attendants' 'routine' attitude, but this is no excuse. Probably should not have listened to my chief pilot as he wasn't even 100% sure about this operation at the time either. Here is what I should have paid attention to: 1) I have seen a plane modified for air ambulance and I know what the equipment looks like and we did not have it. 2) the whole plan (of the medical attendants) seemed to be haphazard. 3) my copilot said (on the flight to san) that he had never done this type of (medical) flight before. 4) heeded the operations manual and not the chief pilot (who is now implementing steps to see that this never happens again). Pilots: if you are not sure about an operation please consult your operations manual and management because it is worth the time. I was also tired, having not slept well the night before.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ILLEGAL AIR AMBULANCE FLT FLOWN BY C550 FLT CREW AFTER HAVING CONFERRED WITH THEIR CHIEF PLT REGARDING THE LEGALITY ISSUES OF THE OP PRIOR TO TKOF FROM SAN.

Narrative: I AM A NEW CHARTER PLT BUT EXPERIENCED CITATION PLT. MY COPLT WAS AN OLD HAND BUT NEW TO THE CITATION. WE SHOWED UP EARLY AM AT ZZZ TO PICK UP PAX WHO SHOWED UP WHILE WE WERE TAKING ON FUEL. 2 UNINFORMED MEDICAL ATTENDANTS AND 2 'CIVILIAN' WOMEN WERE THE PAX. THE MEDICAL ATTENDANTS BROUGHT A STRETCHER AND SOME MEDICAL EQUIP AND 2 BOTTLES OF MEDICAL OXYGEN ABOARD. MY COPLT ENERGETICALLY HELPED THEM LOAD THE STRETCHER WHILE ONE OF THE ATTENDANTS SAID 'IT FIT EASIER IN THIS PLANE LAST TIME.' BTWN (1) THE OLD-HAND'S ATTITUDE, 2) THE ATTENDANT'S COMMENT ABOUT 'LAST TIME,' 3) THE FACT THAT WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH SEVERAL MEDICAL COMPANIES FOR FLYING AROUND MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND THEIR EQUIP, 4) I WAS TOLD BY A MGMNT PERSON THAT WE WOULD BE GETTING CERTIFIED FOR AIR AMBULANCE FLTS, I FIGURED THIS WAS OK, BUT MADE THEM PROPERLY SECURE THAT STRETCHER AND LEAVE THE EMER EXIT OPEN. WE ARE OK FOR MEDICAL OXYGEN AS LONG AS THE USER OF THAT OXYGEN WAS ON BOARD, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER SECTION OF OUR OPS MANUAL THAT ALLOWS IT IF PACKED AND SECURED PROPERLY. SO WE TOOK OFF FOR OUR FLT DOWN TO SAN DIEGO LINDBERGH. WHEN IN SAN DIEGO I STARTED TO GET SUSPICIOUS WHEN I HEARD MORE FROM MY COPLT ABOUT WHAT THE MEDICAL PERSONNEL TOLD HIM. I THEN CALLED MY CHIEF PLT AND TOLD HIM THE SIT AND ASKED IF THIS WAS ALL RIGHT TO DO, I DID NOT THINK SO AT THIS POINT. HE SAID THAT HE WASN'T SURE BUT WOULD LOOK INTO IT AND TO GO AHEAD AND FINISH THE FLT BACK TO ZZZ. HE SOUNDED REASONABLE AND CERTAIN SO I ASSUMED THIS WASN'T AS MUCH OF A PROB AS I THOUGHT. THE NON-AMBULATORY, 300 LB PATIENT WAS SECURED IN THE STRETCHER WHICH WAS SECURED TO 2 SEATS WITH SEAT BELTS. GETTING HIM INTO AND OUT OF THE PLANE WAS DIFFICULT FOR THE ATTENDANTS. THIS PATIENT WAS HOOKED UP TO OXYGEN AND SEVERAL TUBES WITH DEVICES ATTACHED, IN PRETTY BAD SHAPE. THE FLT WENT VERY SMOOTHLY EXCEPT FOR A SCUFFED SEAT, ETC. AS WE UNLOADED THE PATIENT I WAS ONLY MILDLY REASSURED BY THE FACT THAT IT WAS A MISERABLE, RAINY DAY AND NO ONE WAS AT THE ARPT, ESPECIALLY THE LCL AIR-AMBULANCE COMPANY, WHICH MAY HAVE REFUSED TO FLY THIS GUY BECAUSE OF HIS WT (ACCORDING TO MY COPLT). I HAVE SINCE TALKED TO COMPANY MGMNT ABOUT THIS AND HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THAT THEY ARE TAKING STEPS TO MAKE SURE ALL PLTS, DISPATCHERS AND MGMNT ARE NOTIFIED NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING RESEMBLING AN AIR AMBULANCE FLT. I SURE WON'T! BEFORE I STARTED WORKING HERE, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF 'UNUSUAL' OPS AT THIS COMPANY, BUT THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF OPS AND CHIEF PLT ARE WORKING SINCERELY AND SUCCESSFULLY TO CORRECT THE SIT WHICH IS A COMFORT TO WE PLTS. I AM BACKED UP BY MGMNT FOR THE DECISIONS I MAKE REGARDING TKOF WTS, WET RWYS, WX JUDGEMENTS, ETC, AND FEEL NO PRESSURE TO DO ANYTHING FOOLISH OR ILLEGAL, WHICH IS WHY IT WAS FOOLISH FOR ME TO DO THIS. HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT WHEN YOU BRING ORDER INTO A CONFUSED SIT PARTS OF THE CONFUSION JUMP OUT TO BITE YOU AS YOU CLEAN THINGS UP. I LOOK AT THIS DAY AS A REMNANT OF THE OLD ATTITUDE AT THIS COMPANY SURFACING TO TAKE ITS 'BITE' WHILE GENERALLY EVERYTHING IS IMPROVING GREATLY. I WAS INITIALLY FOOLED INTO THIS BY THE SELF-ASSURED ATTITUDE OF OUR DISPATCHER AND THE ATTENDANTS' 'ROUTINE' ATTITUDE, BUT THIS IS NO EXCUSE. PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE LISTENED TO MY CHIEF PLT AS HE WASN'T EVEN 100% SURE ABOUT THIS OP AT THE TIME EITHER. HERE IS WHAT I SHOULD HAVE PAID ATTN TO: 1) I HAVE SEEN A PLANE MODIFIED FOR AIR AMBULANCE AND I KNOW WHAT THE EQUIP LOOKS LIKE AND WE DID NOT HAVE IT. 2) THE WHOLE PLAN (OF THE MEDICAL ATTENDANTS) SEEMED TO BE HAPHAZARD. 3) MY COPLT SAID (ON THE FLT TO SAN) THAT HE HAD NEVER DONE THIS TYPE OF (MEDICAL) FLT BEFORE. 4) HEEDED THE OPS MANUAL AND NOT THE CHIEF PLT (WHO IS NOW IMPLEMENTING STEPS TO SEE THAT THIS NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN). PLTS: IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT AN OP PLEASE CONSULT YOUR OPS MANUAL AND MGMNT BECAUSE IT IS WORTH THE TIME. I WAS ALSO TIRED, HAVING NOT SLEPT WELL THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.