Fri, Jan 16, 2009
Board Releases New Information On Nine Accidents
As part of the National Transportation Safety Board's ongoing
review of the safety of medical helicopter operations, on Thursday
the Board released updated information on nine medevac accidents in
2007 and 2008, including the Probable Cause assessments in four of
those mishaps.
The NTSB ruled poor weather, combined with low-light conditions,
contributed to
the February 2008 loss of a Eurocopter AS350B2
near South Padre Island, TX; the June 2008 downing of
a Bell 407 near Huntsville, TX; and
the crash of a Eurocopter BK-117 near Whittier,
AK in December 2007. Combined, 11 people were killed
in those accidents.
The NTSB also ruled the December 2007 loss of a Bell 206-L3 near
Cherokee, AL was likely due to a collision with trees as the
helicopter flew low over a wooded area, searching for a missing
hunter. The pilot, a paramedic and a flight nurse were lost in that
accident.
The Board also updated factual information on five other ongoing
investigations, including the September loss of a Maryland State
Patrol AS365. Robert Sumwalt, who chairs the investigation's board
of inquiry, said the NTSB will also hold four days of hearings
concerning medevac safety.
"We have seen an alarming rise in the numbers of EMS accidents,"
Sumwalt said in a written statement. "This hearing will be
extremely important because it can provide an opportunity to learn
more about the industry so that possibly we can make further
recommendations that can prevent these accidents and save
lives."
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