OKLAHOMA CITY -
The crash Friday morning is the second crash of a medical
helicopter in Oklahoma in just the past two months. Nationwide, Friday's
crash marks the second fatal incident for the EagleMed company, also in the
past two months.
That doesn't just seem high, it is. In a 2011 report, an NTSB
board member called the current accident record for medical helicopters
"unacceptable".
In July of 2010, an
EagleMed helicopter went down near Kingfisher, killing the pilot and
nurse. Michael Eccard was the only survivor.
"First thing I did
was look around and check my crew and of course they were dead," he recalled in
a July 2011 interview.
2/22/2013
related Story: Names Released Of EagleMed Helicopter Crew Members Killed,
Injured In Crash In OKC
In January of this
year, another medical helicopter, this one Mediflight, crashed in a field near
Cromwell in Seminole County. All four crew members survived. But now just
a month later, another fatal crash, and again it was EagleMed.
The 2011 NTSB
report points to Helicopter EMS crew as the highest-risk occupation.
"2013 is starting
off very bad for the HEMS (Helicopter EMS) industry. As a matter of fact it is
on par to be worse than 2008, which was the worst year on record," said Ladd
Sanger.
7/22/2011 Related Story: 2010 Eagle Med Crash Near Kingfisher Still Under Investigation
Sanger is an
attorney representing four of the victims from the Cromwell crash. He is
also a licensed helicopter pilot. He says the crews sometimes put themselves in
danger because they feel a pressing need to fly. That's in addition to the
competitive nature of the business and equipment issues that all lead to the
high number of accidents.
"I think the
public needs stop realize anybody can be a victim on one of these helicopters
because you don't know when you're going to have a medical event that will land
you in the back of one of them."
Back in 2009 the
NTSB made 10 recommendations to the FAA to improve safety for HEMS flight crews
that include better training, use of night vision imaging, and requiring
autopilots if a second pilot is not available.
According to the
FAA, they proposed a new rule in 2010 that would address many of the issues the
NTSB raised. That rule is still under final review.
10/9/2010 Related Story: FAA Proposes Changes Following Deadly Medical Chopper Crash in Oklahoma
Two crew members were killed and a third injured when a medical helicopter crashed in northwest Oklahoma City.
