NTSB hearings only the start of broad HEMS safety review
At the conclusion of four days of National Transportation Safety Board public hearings on the safety of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operat
At the conclusion of four days of National Transportation Safety Board public hearings on the safety of helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) operations earlier this month, board member Robert Sumwalt summed up what several witnesses had already conceded: “There is no single magic bullet.”
As chairman of the hearing, Sumwalt concluded at the end that “this hearing is not the be all and end all. This is just the beginning.” With testimony from 41 witnesses and a docket of materials to pore over, he said an executive summary would be posted in several weeks and added that the NTSB may reopen the hearing. Witnesses included pilots, medical personnel, managers and the FAA.
