1. We Have an Aircraft Down!
Lessons Learned From an Air Medical Crash
Jim Mobley, RN, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P
Chief Flight Nurse
Mike Clumpner, MBA, NREMT-P, CCEMT-P, FP-C
Flight Paramedic
Regional One
Spartanburg, South Carolina

2. “There is an Aircraft Down!”
911 Dispatcher: “Newberry County 911, where is your emergency?”
Caller: “Uh, yes we’re out here on the interstate, and there is a crash out here…”
911 Dispatcher: “Do what now?”
Caller: “I’m on the interstate…”
911 Dispatcher: “Uh-huh”
Caller: “I’m on the interstate and there was a crash out here. LifeStar came and picked somebody up and we think the helicopter just crashed out here.”
911 Dispatcher: “You think the helicopter crashed?”
Caller: “There is a helicopter that picked somebody up…”
911 Dispatcher: “Right”
Caller: “And the helicopter…it just like fell out of the sky”

4. Accident/Incident Reporting
United States Department of Transportation lists in FAR Part 830 the definition of an accident:
“An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage.”

5. Accident/Incident Reporting
Serious injury is defined as:
Requiring hospitalization greater than twenty-four hours within seven days of the accident
Results in fractures of any major bone(s)
Causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle or tendon damage
Involves any internal organ
Involves second or third degree burns to more than five percent of the body

6. Accident/Incident Reporting
Substantial damage is defined as:
Damage or failure which will adversely affect the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and which would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component.

7. Accident/Incident Reporting
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reporting:
1904.7(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to meet the general recording criteria, and therefore to be recordable, if it results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.

8. Air Ambulance Accidents
Since 1997 the air medical industry fleet has doubled to over 700 aircraft
Patient transports by air ambulance are increasing five percent a year
Although there is a rising trend in the number of accidents there is also a tremendous increase of aircraft in the fleet and population served by air ambulances

9. Air Ambulance Accidents
In the United States there was a twelve percent increase in flight hours between 1998 and 1999
Utilizing the exposure rate and normalizing it over time, medical helicopter accident rates per 100,000 flight hours are lower than those of all helicopter operations, general aviation and scheduled Part 135 operations.
University of Chicago Safety Committee, “A Safety Review and Risk Assessment in Air Medical Transport [2002]

10. Air Ambulance Accidents
In the mid-1980’s the rate of medical helicopter accidents was 13.42/100,000 flight hours
Averaged over the past five years , the medical helicopter accident rate has fallen to 3.45/100,000 flight hours
Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)

11. Air Ambulance Accidents
300,000 medical flights are conducted annually in the United States
A study published in American Emergency Medicine found that between years 1998 and 2000, anywhere from 11,000 to 65,000 people would have died if they would not have been transported by air medical
A study published in the Journal of Trauma in 2002 shows that air medical transport reduces mortality by twenty-four percent

12. Air Ambulance Accidents
The following agencies are actively working to lower the air medical accident rate
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA)
Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)
Helicopter Association International (HAI)
National Association of EMS Pilots (NEMPSA)
International Association of Flight Paramedics (IAFP)
Air and Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA)
Air Medical Physicians Associations (AMPA)
National Association of Air Communication Specialists (NAACS)

13. National Transportation Safety Board Investigation
Independent agency created in 1967
Ten field offices nationwide
Federal “Go Team”
Regional “Go Team”
Go Teams arrive at the accident scene as soon as possible
Team personnel depend on accident size
Average “on scene” investigation time of four to ten days

14. National Transportation Safety Board Investigation
Press briefings conducted regularly
"The Safety Board will disseminate to the public all information regarding the accident [investigation], either through our Board Member, Public Affairs Officer or Investigator-in-Charge. We will hold regular briefings to the press. Please refrain from discussing the accident [investigation] in public, or giving information about it to the press. Any violation of this request will be considered a serious infraction of Board rules."

15. National Transportation Safety Board Regions

16. Continuing Mission/Re-training
Have all personnel conduct training as a team
If pilot error is found, then conduct specific training to address the problem(s)
All flight team personnel must attend the following:
Team debriefing/critical incident stress debriefing
Crew resource management

17. Post-Crash Reflections
Stan Coss, Vice-President, Med-Trans Corporation
Critical to have a Post Accident Incident Plan in place prior to an accident and everyone must be familiar with the plan
Post Accident Incident Plan must be approved by the FAA prior to implementation
Scrutinize all statements made to the media for accuracy
Litigation may be influenced by employee satisfaction
Establish on-call administrators who can handle an accident anytime of day
Flight services must return to operations as soon as possible so that you don’t lose established presence
After accident review/critical incident stress debriefing for all members of the flight team

18. Post-Crash Reflections
Renee Romberger, Vice President of Professional Services, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Have the leadership team visible
Support families
Involve the community with the memorial
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) important
Re-start program when everyone is ready
Keep remaining crew members well informed
According to Mrs. Romberger, it is imperative that the leadership team be visible immediately following an accident, and show that someone is in charge during the crisis.
Families should be supported, and involved in as many aspects of the process as possible.
The community should be involved as much as possible in order to promote healing in the community.

19. Post-Crash Reflections
Jimmy Greene, Director of Transportation, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Be able to confirm the missing aircraft
Utilize flight tracking software
Be willing to justify the need for air medical transport and justify the pilot’s decision to fly
Have one public relations representative for the media
Immediately transport personnel data to crash site for law enforcement and coroner
Offer a public relations liaison to each family
Involve all members of the flight team in post-accident actions

20. Post-Crash Reflections
Doug Silk, REMT-P, Program Coordinator, Regional One Air Medical Service
Make every effort to notify families as soon as possible
Secure base to ensure no unauthorized personnel
Liaison with agency that requested mission
Start back operations when crew is ready
Use hospital/vendor legal team for advice
Ask questions of NTSB team, cooperate with them
Monitor crews for problems, afford opportunity for discussion

21. Post-Crash Reflections
Heidi Jameson, Marketing Manager, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
Establish Emergency Operations Center as soon as possible
Establish Public Information Officer
Press releases as soon as practical. Keep employees informed
Arrange media interviews, keep media informed
Cooperate with media
Give honest answers
Drill for similar occurrences

23. Contact Information
Jim Mobley
Mike Clumpner

24. References
Bledsoe, E. Medical Helicopter Accidents in the United States: A 10-Year Review. Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection and Critical Care. 56(6): , June 2004
University of Chicago Safety Committee. A Safety Review and Risk Assessment in Air Medical Transport. 2002
American Emergency Medicine. Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Helicopter EMS for Trauma Patients. 2002
Journal of Trauma. Helicopter Transport and Blunt Trauma Mortality. 2002
Occupational Safety and Health Association. Available online at
Coss, S. Personal interview. Conducted June 2005
Greene, J. Personal interview. Conducted June 2005
Jameson, H. Personal interview. Conducted 27 June 2005
Romberger, R. Personal interview. Conducted 28 June 2005
Silk, C. Personal interview. Conducted 27 June 2005