EagleMed Helicopter Crash Kills Two – Helicopter Has History of Crashes
Two people are dead and another in critical condition following an EagleMed 1998 Eurocopter AS-350 helicopter crash in Oklahoma on Thursday. A witness says the chopper went into a tail spin before clipping the top trees, hitting the ground and bursting into flames. The pilot and the nurse were killed in the crash – the paramedic was the only survivor.
NTSB documents show other AS-350 have gone down 58 times in the last five years. Earlier this year an AS-350 crashed in Tennessee killing the pilot and two nurses. Although pilot error was found to be the cause of some of the crashes, there is evidence that mechanical error was the cause of other crashes. EagleMed’s history is much better than the AS-350, with only two accidents in its 30-year history.
The NTSB works closely with the FAA to determine if there are safety issues that need to be addressed with certain aircrafts or in the industry.
The preliminary report from the NTSB is expected to be released next week.
Labels: Medical Helicopter Crash, Wrongful DeathPosted by 2:14 pm