Why do medical helicopters crash so often?
In the last year there have been 35 deaths involving medical helicopters. The year since February 2008 has been the worst year on record for the air ambulance services across the globe.
So, why are there so many accidents involving medical helicopters?
It has been reported that in the majority of these cases the pilots were to blame. Accident investigators found that the pilots involved took undue risks in making sure that the patients they were transporting got to hospital quickly.
Several pilots had flown into severe weather or had gotten disoriented at night. In some cases, pre-flight safety checks had not been undertaken correctly.
It brings into question the use of helicopters as a method of transporting patients. Whilst there are obvious benefits and helicopters have indeed saved many lives, they have also lost some.
Are helicopters being used where it would be safer to use conventional transport? Maybe so.