Guest guest Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 FAA Says Emergency Medical Helicopters Need Safety Improvements By Grady, Contributing editor Three men died last weekend when an emergency medical-services helicopter crashed near Madison, Wis., and this week the FAA responded with an update <http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=6763> on its work to address safety concerns about such flights. The NTSB reported <http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/briefs/191462-1.html> on the helicopter emergency medical services fleet in 2006, and asked the FAA to impose stricter requirements on all such operators. " While the FAA has not ruled out proposing new or changing existing rules, the agency has prompted significant short-term safety gains that do not require rulemaking, " the FAA said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency said it is focusing on better training for flight crews; encouraging the use of technology such as night-vision goggles, radar altimeters, and terrain awareness and warning systems (though such systems don't work optimally in helicopters, the FAA says); and more detailed, airline-type FAA oversight for operators. " Safety improvements are needed, " the FAA said. Last weekend's fatal crash occurred shortly after takeoff on Saturday night, when the helicopter hit a wooded hillside. The crew did not have either night goggles or a terrain warning system on board. Air Methods, based in Denver, was the operator for the helicopter that crashed. An official of the company told The Capital Times <http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=286015> on Monday it is installing the goggles and terrain warning gear as quickly as possible on its fleet of 330 aircraft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Unfortunately most aircraft accidents are the result of controlled flight into terrain. Humans pilot these things except for military drones. These are preventable incidents. Gene G. > > > > FAA Says Emergency Medical Helicopters Need Safety Improvements > > By Grady, Contributing editor > > Three men died last weekend when an emergency medical-services > helicopter crashed near Madison, Wis., and this week the FAA responded > with an update > <http://www.faa.http://wwhttp://www.fhttp://www.http://www.http> on its > work to address safety concerns about such flights. The NTSB reported > <http://www.avweb.http://www.avwehttp://www.avwhttp:/> on the > helicopter emergency medical services fleet in 2006, and asked the FAA > to impose stricter requirements on all such operators. " While the FAA > has not ruled out proposing new or changing existing rules, the agency > has prompted significant short-term safety gains that do not require > rulemaking, " the FAA said in a statement on Tuesday. The agency said it > is focusing on better training for flight crews; encouraging the use of > technology such as night-vision goggles, radar altimeters, and terrain > awareness and warning systems (though such systems don't work optimally > in helicopters, the FAA says); and more detailed, airline-type FAA > oversight for operators. " Safety improvements are needed, " the FAA said. > > Last weekend's fatal crash occurred shortly after takeoff on Saturday > night, when the helicopter hit a wooded hillside. The crew did not have > either night goggles or a terrain warning system on board. Air Methods, > based in Denver, was the operator for the helicopter that crashed. An > official of the company told The Capital Times > <http://www.madison.http://www.mahttp://wwwhttp://www.> on Monday it is > installing the goggles and terrain warning gear as quickly as possible > on its fleet of 330 aircraft. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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