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Angel MedFlight
Speaks On Medical Aviation’s Safety Practices And NTSB Report By Eddy Metcalf |
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December 13, 2011 - CEO of international air medical
transportation innovator Angel MedFlight remarks on
recent National Transportation and Safety Board report,
discusses safety disparities among medical aviation
operators and explains how medflights differ from
commercial air travel.
With two
deadly accidents making headlines in the same week,
air ambulance safety is under scrutiny. And one
international air medical transport company president
thinks it should be.
The National Transportation and Safety Board recently issued its probable cause report for a July 2010 West Texas incident involving an air ambulance operator. The report concluded that pilot error and possible fatigue caused the Cessna 421 to plunge just minutes after takeoff, killing all five people on board. Just days after the findings were announced, a forced landing of another medical transport company’s twin-engine plane claimed three more lives. |
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Although
neither incident was related to Angel MedFlight, company CEO
Jeremy Freer stresses that safety differences do exist and
individuals seeking medical flights should know how to identify
good – and bad – practices.
“We extend
our deepest sympathies to the families of the people who died,”
says Freer. “Avoidable incidents that result in loss of life
just shouldn’t happen. Many people may not be aware of the
enormous quality and safety discrepancies that can exist among
air medical transport operators. We want to give people the
tools to make informed decisions.”
Fixed-wing
medical flights are predominantly facility-to-facility transfers
for patients who are too ill or injured to fly commercially.
Patients are flown on medically-equipped aircraft and cared for
by medical personnel, but that’s where similarities among some
operators end.
“Air
medical transport isn’t like the airlines, where you can feel
pretty confident that carriers are operating near the same
levels of safety and excellence,” says Freer. “Sadly, there are
some operators or brokers who cut corners. Individuals looking
into medical flights should research the companies they’re
calling and ask questions regarding operations, safety,
aircraft, equipment and crew.” |