EMS aviation operations, which are conducted with both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, transport seriously ill or injured patients to emergency facilities. EMS operations also transport donor organs, such as in the crash of the University of Michigan organ transport team, which occurred on June 4, 2007. These flights are operated on a as-needed basis and frequently take off, fly and land in less than favorable conditions. Inclement weather, nighttime flights and unfamiliar locations are a few of the elements that make this type of aviation operation inherently dangerous. In January 2006 the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued and adopted a special investigation report identifying additional strategies to help ensure that the EMS flights, which are literally vital operations, are conducted with the utmost care and depart, function and arrive safely.
The January 25, 2006 NTSB report highlights 55 EMS flight crashes which occurred between January of 2002 and January of 2005. Of those 55 crashes, 41 were helicopter accidents resulting in 39 fatalities and 14 were fixed wing aircraft accidents resulting in 15 fatalities. The chart above shows the steady increase in EMS accidents between 1990 and 2005. While the difference may be attributed to the increase in flight hours (162,000 flight hours in 1991 to approximately 300,000 in 2005), the NTSB report shows that whereas the average accident rate was 3.53 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1992 and 2001, it rose to 4.56 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1997 and 2001. The NTSB’s special investigation determined that the four most frequent safety issues in the 55 accident aircraft included:
- Less stringent requirements for EMS operations conducted without patients on board,
- Lack of aviation flight risk evaluation programs for EMS operations
- Lack of consistent, comprehensive flight dispatch procedures for EMS operations, and
- No requirements to use technologies such as terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS) to enhance EMS flight safety.
In 2008 alone there have been six fatal EMS helicopter crashes. The Motley Rice aviation team is experienced in litigating EMS accidents and incidents and continues to fight for safer skies in not only commercial passenger service but also emergency flight service. Our team fights for those individuals requiring emergency medical attention and also for the crew members who brave the dark skies, inclement weather and unfamiliar landing sites to assist those who can no longer help themselves.
