On January 29, 2019, a Bell 407 helicopter operating as an air ambulance flight by Batesville, Arkansas-based Survival Flight crashed near Zaleski, Ohio, killing the pilot, the flight nurse and the flight paramedic.
NTSB Cites Poor Safety Culture in Air Ambulance Accident
Key Takeaways:
- A 2019 Bell 407 air ambulance crash, which killed three crew, was attributed to the pilot's inadvertent encounter with Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) and subsequent failure to maintain altitude, leading to a collision with terrain.
- The NTSB found the accident was primarily caused by Survival Flight's inadequate safety management, which normalized noncompliance with risk-analysis procedures and resulted in an unverified flight initiation.
- Contributing factors included the FAA's insufficient oversight of the operator's risk management and its failure to mandate Safety Management Systems (SMS) for Part 135 operators, with further recommendations made to improve weather evaluation, technology, and regulatory practices.
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