SE-JUS

Information

This helicopter was constructed in 1983. It arrived in Sweden in November 1999 and came to serve as a primary EMS helicopter in Gällivare and was later employed as a backup EMS helicopter in Gothenburg.

Background
Norrlandsflyg was operating the emergency medical helicopter in Gällivare, and it had been utilizing the Sikorsky S-76 model since 1993. On 3 April 1999 the regional helicopter, SE-JES, was badly damaged in a non-fatal accident during an EMS mission northeast of Torneträsk. The company's backup helicopter, SE-JEZ, had to cover for the lost helicopter, but a new S-76 had to be purchase to replace SE-JES.
Norrlandsflyg purchased a 16 year old Australian S-76A. The helicopter was modified for EMS operations at Keystone Helicopter Corporation in the US, and it was given a blue paint scheme similar to that of SE-JES.

Arriving in Sweden
Moments prior to 16:00 on 16 November 1999 a Boeing 747 cargo airplane landed at Kallax Airport in Luleå, loaded with Norrlandsflygs new Sikorsky S-76A. The helicopter was put in service as "Lifeguard 998" in Gällivare in early 2000.

Gällivare
With a crew of four the helicopter responded to approx 400-500 emergency calls each year, all over northern Sweden. It operated in an environment where long distances, cold temperatures and isolated areas are common.

The EMS contract in Norrbotten was lost favor for Scandinavian MediCopter in 2010. The new operator started its activities with a Eurocopter Dauphin (LN-OLE, later SE-JIA) on 1 December the same year. SE-JUS was transferred to Norrlandsflyg's new main base in Gothenburg.

Gothenburg
On 1 November 2011 a new company called Norrlandsflyg Ambulans acquired Norrlandsflyg's EMS operation in Gothenburg. Norrlandsflyg was being acquired by the Swedish Maritime Administration, but the EMS segment was not included in the deal. The new company inherited the primary EMS helicopter in Gothenburg (SE-JUX) and this aircraft, SE-JUS. JUS took the role as a local backup helicopter for JUX, thereby replacing the previous backup helicopter SE-JUC.

The helicopter's airworthiness expired in November 2014.

On 1 July 2015 Svensk Luftambulans took over the operations of the emergency medical helicopter in Gothenburg from Norrlandsflyg Ambulans AB. The full staff and the existing Sikorsky S-76C+ (SE-JUX) were transferred to Svensk Luftambulans. The backup S-76 (SE-JUS) remained with Norrlandsflyg Ambulans.

Retirement
SE-JUS was sold to a flight technical school in Ronneby, Sweden, in March 2017. The helicopter will be used as a technical trainer, much like its sister ships SE-JUC and SE-JEZ in Luleå.