6 killed in tragic medical helicopter crash

A tragedy over the Arizona skies this past weekend has highlighted the dangers of helicopter travel.  Six people were killed and one critically injured when two medical helicopters collided near a hospital in Flagstaff.

 

It’s rare for two medical helicopters to try and land at a hospital at the same time, as helicopter transports don’t happen that often.  This was certainly a unique situation, and investigators are sure to ask how it could have been prevented.

 

Most hospitals go without flight controllers, the people who at a normal landing sight ensure that two aircraft don’t collide on or near the runway while trying to land or take-off.  The small volume of flights at most hospitals equipped with helicopter pads means that it’s up to the helicopter pilots to judge for themselves if it’s safe to land or take-off.

 

It remains to be seen what will be found to be the cause of this accident.  Hopefully some good will come from this awful tragedy and any similar future collisions avoided.