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Editor: James T. Crouse
Profession: Aviation Accident Attorney

Category: Helicopter Crashes

The answer should be a strong "Yes" if recommendations to the industry and to the FAA were followed - but sadly the answer is "No" because the recommendations have seemingly fallen on deaf ears.

The Huntsville, Texas medical helicopter crash on Sunday is one of four since December 30, 2007 that have killed 13 people - 86 crashes between 2000 and 2005 in which 60 people died - more than double the number in the previous five years. Those crashes represent more than 10 percent of the US air ambulance helicopter flights! What's really scary is if this percentage is compared to commercial airline passenger jets, that would be 90 commercial crashes each year, according to a June 17, 2005 USA Today article.

Despite the surge in the number of crashes, however, air ambulance companies and the federal agency that oversees them failed time and again to take steps that might have averted tragedy and saved lives, a USA TODAY investigation shows. The investigation found that: #1. Lack of sufficient industry safeguards allowing pilots to ignore fundamental flight rules. #2. Federal regulations exempt helicopters from some of the most basic safety standards and equipment, including equipment to warn pilots they are too close to the ground even after several disoriented pilots have flown into the ground. #3. Government inspections of air ambulances are haphazard and inadequate - in three fatal crashes the year before, the FAA had never been to the bases for any inspections.

In 2000, the air ambulance trade group asked the FAA to push companies to emulate training used by airlines to minimize mistakes and also suggested the language for such a training program and sent it to the FAA's administrator at the time, Nothing was done by the FAA and it has no record of the recommendations.

Decades of improved training, oversight, and technology for commercial airlines have led to the safest commercial airline travel in the history of the industry. A lot of the changes were brought on due to pressure to tighten oversight of large airlines after the 1996 ValuJet crash and the Alaska Airlines jet crash in 2000 - does this mean without enough pressure, nothing gets done?

None of these improvements have been applied to the air ambulance industry such as training for poor visibility (although 2/3 of fatal crashes occur in these circumstances) and helicopters are not required by federal rules to carry data recorders which would help determine the cause of the crash and help to prevent future crashes.

Now, Frieda will admit wondering why one has to be mandated to do the right thing especially when common sense can dictate these precautions, and when lives are at stake. These passengers aren't choosing to fly as are commercial passengers - they are on what is supposed to be a life saving flight. A former flight director for an air ambulance company says the industry's and the government's failure to act is "almost criminal" - "someone needs to be uncomfortable and it's not the guy in the back of the helicopter."