Analysis of Helicopter Air Ambulance Accidents in the United States From 2010 to 2021
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Gustavo Sanchez1, Shantanu Gupta2, Mary E Johnson1
1School of Aviation and Transportation Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN.
Objective:
Helicopter air ambulance (HAA) services are essential to air medical transport in the United States. However, HAA accidents, incidents, and fatalities have been a reason for concern for HAA operations. This article analyzes the numbers, proportions, contributing or causal factors, and defining events of HAA accidents in the United States from 2010 to 2021.
Methods:
The National Transportation Safety Board final investigation reports, defining events, findings, and summary data were analyzed for 83 HAA accidents in the United States from 2010 to 2021. The 2 proportions test was used to compare the proportions of fatal HAA accidents between 2010-2015 and 2016-2021.
Results:
The data show that 21/47 (45%) of HAA accidents in 2010-2015 and 6/36 (17%) in 2016-2021 were fatal, representing a significant (P < .01) reduction in the proportion of fatal accidents in 2016-2021 from 2010-2015 time period. VFR encounter IMC events accounted for 9/47 (19%) of HAA accidents in 2010-2015 and 1/36 (3%) accident in 2016-2021, representing a significant (P < .05) reduction in VFR encounter IMC accidents.
Conclusion:
There was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of fatal HAA accidents from 2010-2015 to 2016-2021, which may be attributable to the changes in the regulatory framework, training protocols, safety awareness initiatives, and technological advancements to address HAA safety.
