The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday urged the federal government to impose stricter controls on emergency helicopter operators – an issue that has gained attention since three people died in a UW Hospital Med Flight crash in May 2008.
The NTSB recommendations urge the Federal Aviation Administration to, among other things, require medical helicopter operators to install flight data recorders, autopilot systems that can help solo pilots and night-vision systems that help navigate in the dark – something the Med Flight helicopter that crashed in La Crosse last year didn’t have.