Air Ambulances in the United States
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The following is a list of notable Air Ambulances in the United States:
Air Methods had, after the 2006 Mercy Air helicopter accident, a total of 19 accidents leading to the deaths of 21 people nationwide according to the National Transportation Safety Board's records.[3] Air Methods companies had three other fatal accidents, in a 10 year period. On September 7, 2002, three crew members died when a Mercy Air helicopter based in Nevada crashed in Nipton, California after the main rotor blades separated while maneuvering in flight after dark.[3] In January 2005, an Air Methods helicopter crashed in Washington, D.C. with two dead and one injured, and another crashed in Mississippi killing one.[4] Craig Yale, the vice president of corporate development for Air Methods, stated in a news conference shortly after the accident that, "We fly over 100,000 hours a year, 85,000 missions a year, and in doing so have had very few fatal accidents over a 10-year period."[3]
On June 29, 2008, a Bell 407 medical helicopter operated by Air Methods collided with another medical helicopter in Arizona, killing six of the seven aboard both aircraft. Another Air Methods helicopter crashed in May in Wisconsin soon after taking off; three people were killed in that accident: the pilot, flight doctor and flight nurse.[5]
On September 28, 2008, at approximately 12:30am, Maryland State Police Trooper 2 (Eurocopter AS 365N1 Dauphin, N92MD) disappeared from radar and crashed with five people aboard in Walker Mill Regional Park in Prince George's County.[6] There were four confirmed fatalities, which included Pilot Stephen Bunker, TFC Mickey Lippy, EMT Tonya Mallard (Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department), and one of the two patients on board. This resulted in the grounding of all aircraft, until the cause is determined, with allied agencies covering the state.[7] This is the fourth fatal crash in the history of the MSP Aviation Division. The most recent crash prior to this occurred on January 19, 1986.
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