|
Board cites poor weather in helicopter crashes
Posted: 01.15.2009 at 10:26 AM
|
The National Transportatoin Safety Board has scheduled a four-day hearing in early February to give the issue greater visibility and urgency.
/ AP
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal safety investigators say flying at night in poor weather conditions contributed to three medical helicopter crashes in which 12 people died.
The National Transportation Safety Board blamed a fourth crash in Alabama on flying too low over trees as the EMS helicopter searched for a lost hunter. The pilot, a paramedic and a flight nurse were killed.
The board released the probable cause of the four crashes and information on five others Thursday. Together, 35 people were killed in nine EMS helicopter crashes since December 2007.
The three nighttime crashes in which poor weather was a factor took place near Whittier, Alaska; Huntsville, Texas, and South Padre Island, Texas.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)