Ok, so I just referenced the Lion King...don't judge me. It was the last hand drawn animated movie done by Disney, and in my opinion one of the best.
I have been watching several reports come out lately about the deadly crash of an Air Methods helicopter back in 2011. (Video Below)
In the report federal investigators are saying that a distracted pilot was the potential cause of this fatal incident. More specifically, the federal investigators are saying that a personal text chain between the pilot and another individual was the potential cause of the pilot not realizing that he was low fuel which resulted in the crash.
Many states have adopted a no texting policy when driving on the roadway, and many more have adopted legislation that states individuals must use headsets just to talk on the phone while driving. Fire and EMS services in many areas have gone well above that and said no cell phone use while driving at all, especially during an emergency vehicles.
In this instance it was stated that the pilot had been carrying on a conversation with another individual, with many of those text communications coming after the flight was initiated. While the primary focus was the amount of fuel, it has been decided that the lack of focus on his primary mission was the primary concern. In the reports it shows that the pilot was engaged in the text exchange and either miscalculated the amount of fuel necessary for the flight, or didn't realize how much he had at the time. It is noted that while there were several text communications during the flight, none of those communications came within the final 10-11 minutes of the flight either.
It is reported that Air Methods, the parent company of the above flight, has now implemented a zero tolerance policy for texting in these situations. My question is, are we singling out texting as the primary reason and eliminating all others, or was that the single cause of the accident. I agree with eliminating texting access during all emergency runs (both air and ground) because of the individual in control of the unit doesn't have their full focus on the roadway.
Over the last several years, we have witness several aeromedical units crashing in various places from Kansas to Alaska and even more far reaching in this country. The alternate to that is these aeromedical individuals are an integral part of the pre-hospital emergency care community. They are taking medicine to the air and delivering patients to critical care facilities much faster than some of their counterparts on the ground.
What are your thoughts?
Take Care and Stay Safe The Combomedic
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