The FAA needs to do more to regulate helicopter emergency medical services, the NTSB said on Tuesday, and operators also need to improve their training and procedures. "The pressure on HEMS operators to conduct their flights quickly in all sorts of environments makes these types of operations inherently more risky than other types of commercial flight operations," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "Operators need to use every available safety tool to conduct these flights and to determine when the risk of flying is just too great." The board said the FAA should mandate better pilot training, improve its data collection and monitoring, develop a low-altitude airspace infrastructure, and require crews to be trained to use night-vision systems. The agency should also require the use of autopilots during single-pilot HEMS operations. Operators should work to improve pilot training and upgrade their equipment, the NTSB said.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/news/ntsb-issues-new-recommendations-for-helicopter-ems-safety