Safety

Helicopter crashes prompt a move for stricter regulations

Emergency Management Alert, October 21, 2008

A fatal October 17 medevac helicopter crash in Auroroa, IL has prompted the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to push the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to adopt more specific safety measures, according to The Chicago Sun Times.
 
The Illinois crash, which killed all four passengers including a 1-year-old girl, marked the ninth fatal crash of medical helicopters in the last 12 months, killing 35 people, according to the article. In 2006, the NTSB identified four major problems with helicopter transportation based on their study of 55 accidents between 2002 and 2005:
  • requirements are less stringent when patients aren't on board
  • a lack of flight risk evaluation programs
  • a lack of consistent, comprehensive dispatch procedures
  • no requirement to use safety technology including night vision goggles or programs that alert pilots when an obstacle is approaching
According to a study by the National EMS Pilots Association, only 25 percent of pilots have night vision goggles, while 82 percent want them.
 
The NTSB is considering adding their EMS recommendations to their “most wanted list” of safety improvements and will hold a public hearing in February regarding helicopter safety.
 
For the full article, click here.

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