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Fatal Air Medical Accidents in the United States (2000-2020)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2023

Aditya C. Shekhar Open the ORCID record for Aditya C. Shekhar [Opens in a new window]  and
Ira J. Blumen
Aditya C. Shekhar*
Affiliation:
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York USA Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA
Ira J. Blumen
Affiliation:
University of Chicago Department of Medicine - Section of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois USA University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN), Chicago, Illinois USA
*
Correspondence: Aditya C. Shekhar, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York USA, Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts USA, E-mail: shekhar.aditya.c@gmail.com
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Abstract

Introduction:

Currently, many airplanes and helicopters are used as air ambulances to transport high-acuity patients. Unfortunately, civilian air medical transport in the United States has experienced a significant number of serious and fatal accidents. At the moment, additional research is needed to identify what factors affect air medical safety.

Methods:

Accident reports from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were queried. Accident reports were analyzed if the accident occurred from 2000 through 2020, involved a helicopter or airplane on an air medical flight (as identified by the NTSB), and had at least one fatality. The date of the accident, the model of aircraft involved, and NTSB-determined probable causes of the accident were examined.

Results:

Eighty-seven (87) accidents and 239 fatalities took place from January 2000 through December 2020. Nearly three-fourths (72.4%) of fatalities occurred on helicopters, while just 27.6% occurred on airplanes. Interpreting the NTSB findings, various human factors probably contributed to 87.4% of fatalities. These include pilot disorientation, pilot errors, maintenance errors, impairment, fatigue, or weather misestimation. Nighttime-related factors probably contributed to 38.9% of fatalities, followed by weather-related factors (35.6%), and various mechanical failures (17.2%).

Conclusion:

These data show that the probable causes of fatal air medical accidents are primarily human factors and are, therefore, likely preventable. Developing a safety-first culture with a focus on human factors training has been shown to improve outcomes across a wide range of medical specialties (eg, anesthesia, surgery, and resuscitation). While there have been fewer fatal accidents in recent years, a continued emphasis on various training modalities seems warranted.

Keywords

air ambulanceair medicalcrashhelicoptersafety
Type
Research Report
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , April 2023 , pp. 259 - 263
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine

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