A Perfect Storm: Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and Degraded Flying Conditions

Abstract

As a result of increasing availability, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations have become an important part of the healthcare system within the United States; however, this growth has come at a cost to the pilots and crew members who provide these services. For several decades, the largest contributing factor to HEMS accidents and fatalities has been flight into degraded conditions. Flying in dark night conditions as well as continued and inadvertent flight into IMC persist as the biggest risk factors for HEMS crews. Using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS), our analysis investigates the active failures which increase risk in HEMS operations and lead to accidents continuously occurring in degraded conditions.