Medical helicopter crash deaths on record pace

By Alan Levin, USA TODAY

The fiery midair collision between two helicopters in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Sunday put this year on pace to be the deadliest ever for air ambulance crashes.

So far in 2008, 16 people have died in emergency medical helicopter crashes, including six people in Sunday's crash. That's two shy of the record 18 deaths in 2004, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

"Unfortunately we are moving toward a record-breaking year here," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said in a phone interview after traveling to the accident scene Monday. "We are hoping that this accident will sensitize the industry and the regulators to immediately begin a recognition of what is necessary to prevent these accidents."

The NTSB issued a special report in 2006 highlighting issues that had caused an upsurge in emergency helicopter crashes, particularly during nighttime and in poor visibility.

The number of crashes and fatalities fell briefly after the report was issued and the Federal Aviation Administration increased oversight of the industry, but they have risen this year.

An Air Methods helicopter collided with a Classic Helicopters flight about one-quarter mile from the Flagstaff Medical Center at about 3:45 p.m. Sunday. The Air Methods craft was heading north while the other helicopter was going in the opposite direction, Rosenker said. Both were following normal paths to the hospital. The collision occurred in clear weather, Rosenker said.

The victims included firefighter Michael McDonald, 26, who was being taken to the hospital on the Classic flight after being injured near the Grand Canyon. Also dead were pilot Tom Caldwell, 54, and paramedic Tom Clausing, 36. Flight nurse James Taylor, 36, was in critical condition.

All three aboard the other helicopter died: pilot Pat Graham, 50, flight nurse Shawn Shreeve, 36, and patient Raymond Zest, 54.

The collision between two air ambulance helicopters was the first in history, according to NTSB records. Previously, most fatal accidents occurred in poor visibility, often late at night, and NTSB's suggested safety improvements focused on those factors.

Investigators do not know why the pilots apparently failed in one of the most basic concepts of flight safety: to "see and avoid" other aircraft, Rosenker said.

Gary Sizemore, president of the National EMS Pilots Association, said that crews typically have several layers of protection against midair collisions. They often report by radio when approaching a hospital and frequently will announce their presence on a special radio frequency reserved for other helicopters, he said. The two helicopters were not under the supervision of air traffic controllers, Rosenker said.

The collision was recorded on a hospital surveillance camera and the recording will be sent to the NTSB's Washington, D.C., lab for analysis, Rosenker said.

Industry officials defended the safety record of air ambulance flights, saying 500,000 patients are transported safety each year.

"There is a lesson in every accident that needs to be communicated to increase safety," said Christopher Eastlee, government relations manager for the Association of Air Medical Services.

Air-ambulance crews among most likely to die

By Alan Levin, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Air-ambulance helicopters have the worst fatal crash record in aviation, and their crews are among the most likely to die on the job, an expert told a panel of federal investigators Tuesday.

The rate of fatalities per 100,000 air-ambulance employees over the past 10 years exceeds other dangerous professions such as logging or deep-sea fishing, said Ira Blumen, program director of the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network.

DEADLY YEAR: Medical helicopter crash deaths on record pace

Blumen's comments came during the first day of a hearing by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which is examining the industry's burgeoning accidents.

"It's a high-risk occupation. It's alarming," Blumen said.

Relatively few patients have died: 34 out of about 4.3 million transported since 1972, Blumen said. It's unclear why; one possible explanation is that air-ambulance flights spend more time flying without a patient than while carrying one. A typical emergency run involves three trips: one to pick up the patient; another to transport the victim; and a third to return to the helicopter base after the patient is dropped off.

Another reason is that crewmembers outnumber patients three or four to one on flights.

Tearful relatives of recent crash victims demanded that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) take action to stem the death toll.

Steve Ogletree, 44, an airport manager whose 14-month-old granddaughter, Kirstin Blockinger, died in a crash Oct. 15, said he was stunned by how lightly the government regulates the industry compared with airlines. "I say to the FAA, shame on you," Ogletree said.

The FAA has pushed the industry to adopt stricter safety standards but has emphasized voluntary change because it can be accomplished faster than writing new regulations, FAA spokesman Les Dorr said.

Since 1972, 264 people have died in air-ambulance crashes, according to Blumen. Nine fatal crashes since December 2007 have killed 35 people. That's the highest death toll in the industry's history.

The accident statistics for the USA stand in stark contrast to Canada, which has not had a fatality since 1977. Unlike most companies in the United States, Canada requires two pilots on each helicopter, and flights are conducted under more rigorous standards for weather, said Sylvain Séguin, a vice president of Canadian Helicopters.

The NTSB hearing is trying to pinpoint what could be driving the recent increase in fatal crashes. Several witnesses raised concerns about whether competition to make the helicopter flights — which can pay as much as $10,000 — could be driving up the accident rates.

"The safety board is concerned that these types of accidents will continue if a concerted effort is not made to improve," NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said.

999 boss hits out at knife threat

Reporter: Beatriz Ayala

A SENIOR ambulance official has hit out after emergency crews received knife threats

Delwyn Wray, North-West Ambulance Service area director, said: “This was an unacceptable act of violence on defenceless ambulance workers carrying out a valuable service.”

Police were called to an address in Vale Drive, Coldhurst, last Tuesday following reports that an ambulance crew were being threatened.

Officers arrived at the scene to discover that the ambulance crew — a 43-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman — had locked themselves in a downstairs room and were being threatened after responding to an emergency call at the address.

Mr Wray said: “Our ambulance staff save lives on a daily basis and it is saddening that some individuals are subjecting them to violence and abuse.

“This not only places the crews at risk, but also prevents them from doing their jobs.

“Patients’ lives can also be put at risk.”

Last year in the Greater Manchester area alone there were 364 reports of verbal and physical assaults on ambulance staff. Many incidents are still not being reported.

Mr Wray said: “There is an unacceptable level of violence and abuse directed towards staff that we simply will not tolerate and we want to send out a very clear message to anyone who assaults our crews, either verbally or physically, that they face the very real possibility of prosecution.

“On this occasion the crew had a very lucky escape and were not harmed but were left shaken and upset by the incident.

“The police acted swiftly to make an arrest and we will co-operate fully with them in their investigations.”

A 44-year-old man has been charged with false imprisonment, threats to kill and affray.

He will appear before Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, on Thursday.


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