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Safety of HEMS. Guthrie One. January 26, 1991 4 fatalities IFR vs. VFR. Of the 55 accidents that occurred between January 2002 and January 2005, the following seven were considered to provide the best examples of the safety issues involved:.
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Guthrie One • January 26, 1991 • 4 fatalities • IFR vs. VFR
Of the 55 accidents that occurred between January 2002 and January 2005, thefollowing seven were considered to provide the best examples of the safety issuesinvolved: • • Salt Lake City, Utah (FTW03FA082). On January 10, 2003, an EMS • helicopter crashed into terrain while maneuvering in dense fog on an aborted mission to pick up a patient. The pilot and flight paramedic were killed, and the flight nurse was seriously injured. • Helicopter shopping
VFR into IMC • Of the seven best examples all involved VFR into IMC
1972- 2008 • 264 accidents • Total occupants 797 • Fatal accident 98 • Total fatalities 264 • Weather was a significant factor in 19% of all HEMS accidents. • Of all crashes in which weather was a factor, 56% were fatal to one or more occupants. • In comparison, 34% of all crashes in which weather was NOT a factor were fatal to one or more occupants.
NTSB risk assessment • • The occupational risk to HEMS crewmembers of being killed in a crash was 164 per 100,000 in 2008. • This risk is higher than traditional high-risk occupations such as commercial fishing (112 per 100,000) or logging (86 per 100,000). • In comparison, the risk to patients of dying in HEMS accidents was 0.76 per 100,000 patients.
Reasons for risk • Helicopter shopping • Revenue generating methods • Gov. funded • Hospital funded • Privately funded • Cost of IFR programs
Solution • Ntsb recommendations not thoroughly implemented • Congress started new regulations • More is needed