Stung by US National Transportation Safety Board criticism of its dismal record on improving helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) safety performance, the Federal Aviation Administration is inviting comment on proposals to upgrade flight-planning requirements for HEMS operations.
Proposed revisions to existing requirements state that visual flight rules operations must be operated "within the weather minimums", and that pre-flight planning must establish a minimum safe cruise altitude at least 300ft (91m) above all en-route obstacles in daylight, and 500ft above them at night.
Pilots must also, in planning, ensure that the forecast weather will provide at least the regulatory minimum cloud ceiling and visibility conditions, which vary between 800ft and 1,500ft cloudbase and two to five miles (3.7-8.2km), depending on the type of terrain in the area, whether it is day or night, and whether or not the pilot is equipped with a night vision imaging system or a helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS).
Finally, suitably qualified HEMS crews are permitted to land at a location that does not have any approved site weather reporting under instrument flight rules only if there is an approved weather reporting system within 15nm (28km) of the landing site.
The FAA explains that, so far, its strategy for improving HEMS safety has relied upon advice and voluntary fitting of equipment like TAWS, rather than rule making. So far in 2008 there have been seven fatal emergency medical service accidents in the USA killing 28 people, despite the FAA's safety campaign that began in August 2004.
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Source: Flight International
