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EMS helicopters are among the most dangerous aircraft in the sky, with a fatal accident rate that is 6,000 times that of commercial airliners. And while many of these EMS accidents occur in difficult flying conditions, they are made more difficult by the reluctance of the Federal Aviation Administration to require stricter safety measures.
Initial reports stated that the helicopter in last week's crash was not equipped with a Terrain Awareness and Warning System and that its pilot was flying at night without night-vision goggles—two safety measures that have long been advocated by aviation-safety advocates. Furthermore, the veteran pilot, 69, was operating the aircraft alone, having to fly, navigate, monitor the engines and operate the radio. These are some of the worst conditions a pilot can face, yet pilots of emergency medical helicopters are frequently required to fly under these conditions.
The FAA can put a stop to this. It can require that every EMS flight include two pilots, a TAWS and night-vision goggles. But in the face of dozens of deaths, the FAA's response has been to simply "encourage risk management" and "promote" safety-enhancing technology, such as night-vision goggles, a TAWS and radar altimeters.
This stance is noticeably lacking the vigor we've seen the FAA use to force major commercial airlines to maintain acceptable safety standards. It is not shocking that privately owned companies—as most EMS providers are—will generally adhere to the minimum safety guidelines required by law, so as to cut costs and keep profits as high as possible. But, when it comes to safety, inadequate regulation costs lives.
I have long subscribed to Thomas Jefferson's theory of governance: "The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only legitimate object of good government."
What is certain is that without proper regulatory action, accidents involving EMS helicopters will continue to occur at an unacceptable rate. This year's deadly spell of accidents involving medical helicopters shows just how grave a safety threat current EMS operations pose to those onboard.
Jim Hall was chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board from 1994 through 2001. He is the managing partner of Hall & Associates LLC, a crisis management and government relations firm.