NTSB Safety Recommendation A-09-130

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

Title: NTSB Safety Recommendation A-09-130

************************************************************

                   NTSB SAFETY RECOMMENDATION

************************************************************

National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

November 16, 2009

************************************************************

NTSB Safety Recommendation A-09-130

************************************************************

The National Transportation Safety Board recommends the following to the Federal Aviation

Administration:

Seek specific legislative authority to regulate helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations

conducted using government-owned aircraft to achieve safety oversight commensurate with that

provided to civil HEMS operations. (A-09-130)

Also, the National Transportation Safety Board reiterates the following previously issued

recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration:

Require all emergency medical services (EMS) operators to develop and implement flight risk evaluation

programs that include training all employees involved in the operation, procedures that support the

systematic evaluation of flight risks, and consultation with others trained in EMS flight operations if the

risks reach a predefined level. (A-06-13)

Require all emergency medical services (EMS) operators to install terrain awareness and warning

systems on their aircraft and to provide adequate training to ensure that flight crews are capable of using

the systems to safety conduct EMS operations. (A-06-15)

Require all rotorcraft operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 91 and 135 with a transport-

category certification to be equipped with a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder

(FDR). For those transport-category rotorcraft manufactured before October 11, 1991, require a CVR and

an FDR or an onboard cockpit image recorder with the capability of recording cockpit audio, crew

communications, and aircraft parametric data. (A-06-17)

************************************************************

http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2009/A09_130.pdf 

************************************************************

The complete recommendation letter is available on the Web

at the URL indicated above.

The letter is in the Portable Document Format (PDF) and can

be read using the Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later from Adobe

(http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html).

       

An archive of recommendation letters is available at

http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/letters.htm.

Electronic versions of letters may or may not include

enclosures; however, related publications, accident

briefs, and aviation accident synopses may be found

on the NTSB website.

************************************************************

This message is delivered to you as a free service from the

National Transportation Safety Board.

You may unsubscribe at any time at

http://www.ntsb.gov/registration/registration.htm  

An archive of press releases is available at

http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/pressrel.htm

Current job opportunities with the NTSB are listed at

http://www.ntsb.gov/vacancies/listing.htm

For questions/problems, contact pubinq@xxxxxxxx