Special investigation report on – emergency medical services operations

Citation

(2006), "Special investigation report on – emergency medical services operations", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 78 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2006.12778dab.016

Special investigation report on – emergency medical services operations

Special investigation report on – emergency medical services operations

Keywords: Aircraft safety, Aircraft industry

This special investigation report of EMS operations and accidents is not intended to burden operators with undue requirements or to handicap this vital function in any way; rather the purpose of the report is to identify and recommend operational strategies and technologies that will help ensure that these vital EMS flights arrive safely and continue to provide a valuable service to the public.

Between January 2002 and January 2005, 55 EMS aircraft accidents occurred in the USA (this number of EMS accidents had not been seen since the 1980s); these accidents resulted in 54 fatalities and 18 serious injuries (see appendix B for more information). Although the number of flight hours flown by EMS helicopter operations has increased from about 162,000 in 1991 to an estimated 300,000 in 2005, the average accident rate has also increased from 3.53 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1992 and 2001 to 4.56 accidents per 100,000 flight hours between 1997 and 2001. As a result, the National Transportation Safety Board initiated a special investigation of these 55 accidents and identified the following recurring safety issues:

• less stringent requirements for EMS operations conducted without patients on board;

• a lack of aviation flight risk evaluation programs for EMS operations; and

• a lack of consistent, comprehensive flight dispatch procedures for EMS operations.

This special investigation report is not intended to represent a comprehensive statistical analysis of EMS accidents. Because 14 CFR Part 135 operators are not required to maintain flight activity data, such an analysis is not possible. The purpose of this report is to discuss the safety issues identified during the safety board's investigation and suggest recommendations that, if implemented, could address these issues.

The safety board also recognizes that the use of EMS aircraft operations involves aspects of public policy (for example, the decision to use EMS aircraft instead of ground transportation, the reimbursement structure of vital services, and the economic competition among EMS operators) that will not be the focus of this report.

NTSB Number SIR-06/01

NTIS Number PB2006-917001 (2.6 M)