The Federal Aviation Administration is asking air
ambulance companies to adopt better safety practices to curb a deadly surge in rescue helicopter crashes that have killed 60 people since 2000.
An FAA notice being sent starting this month to all of the nation's air ambulance companies urges -- but does not require -- the companies to set up safety programs that would help pilots decide whether or not to lift off in risky conditions.
The notice aims to halt fatal mistakes that have beset the industry, such as pilots flying into the ground during ill-advised rescue missions or dispatchers sending out inexperienced crews in darkness and bad weather.
"Inadequate risk assessment and management deficiencies may have contributed to many recent fatal accidents," the notice says.
A USA TODAY investigation July 18-19 found that 84 air ambulances have crashed since 2000, more than double the number of crashes during the previous ...
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