WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety investigators said Thursday that flying at night in poor weather conditions contributed to three medical helicopter crashes that killed 12 people.
….The board released the probable cause of the four crashes and information on five others. All total, 35 people were killed in nine EMS helicopter crashes since December 2007.
Three years ago, the board recommended all EMS helicopters be equipped with Terrain Awareness Warning Systems. The technology, which is used aboard commercial jetliners, warns pilots who can’t see where they’re heading when the aircraft is on course to fly into the ground.
Since then, more than three dozen people have been killed in EMS helicopter accidents and installation of the equipment still is not required by the Federal Aviation Administration. Other safety recommendations included more formal procedures for evaluating the risks of making an emergency medical flight, particularly at night and in poor weather, and for obtaining up-to-date weather information. Those recommendations have not been fully implemented either.