usafmedic45
Forum Deputy Chief
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This year (2009)? So far, two that I'm aware of in the US, both of which were non-fatal incidents. As opposed to last year where crashes set a new record for both the number of crashes and the number of people killed in them.
Well, the issue is not sacrificing patient care, since most areas do not need helicopters and this is borne out by more evidence than exists to say they do. At very least they don't have a need for the numbers of helicopters. Only a few truly remote areas have a leg to stand on for scene response (and even then the "scene" should be a designated and previously determined and survey landing zone and not some random roadside field). I understand the role helicopters play in interfacility transfer and see their value in that role.
There's more to CRM than simply communications between the crew members. Having the right mix of crew members on the flight plays a huge role.
Yes, but human factors research bears out that pilots are less likely to take unnecessary risks when they have a second set of eyes and ears and a functioning brain to crosscheck their decisions and say "Hey, wait a minute". Also a lot of those crashes have had contributing factors (maybe not listed as such by the NTSB, but certainly discussed in the aviation safety community) including lack of proper TAWS/GPWS equipment, night vision, etc. Adding a second pilot would also make IFR operations in helicopters far safer even when you add this equipment. There's a reason why the HEMS crash rate in Europe is usually 1/4 or less of the rate here and a lot of it has to do with how the aircraft are operated and how they are staffed. It's a copout to simply say "Oh, bad decision-making on the part of the pilot caused the crash." The problem with relying on the NTSB probable cause reports alone is that if they don't have overwhelming evidence to say a company did something wrong or forced a flight, then it doesn't make the report. These are the same folks that in a small plane crash in Texas a few years back where the pilot DIED before the crash, failed to mention that as even a contributing factor.
