This past Thursday witnessed an unfortunate air ambulance transport crash that snuffed the lives of the pilot and two of the crew members. The crash occurred in a wooded area in Minocqua in Oneida County. The air ambulance transport helicopter was contracted by Ascension Wisconsin. The hospital has been actively trying to help in the situation currently. The chopper was on its way back after transporting a patient and returning to the hospital when it suddenly lost contact with the ground crew.
The Air Ambulance Transport was Happening in an Eurocopter AS350
Eurocopters are among the preferred choppers for air ambulance transport in the US. The helicopter had gone out of range from the GPS tracking system at around 10:43 that unfortunate evening. At the time, the air ambulance transport chopper was about 12 miles from its destination. The NTSB was to arrive a day after the crash to begin investigations to find out the cause of the crash.
Wisconsin has Seen a Series of Air Ambulance Transport Crashes
In April of 2006, a helicopter had crashed in Bellevue. The medical flight at the time was on a routine maintenance flight. In the same year, another crash had killed about four people. Further, in the year 2008, a medical doctor, a nurse and the pilot had lost their lives in an air ambulance transport tragedy.
The Safety Measures are in Place
In the recent years, the air ambulance transport industry has seen several safety laws being implemented. These have included pushes towards better night vision capabilities and tracking systems. However, stray incidents have bogged the industry. The events, in no way, mean that air ambulance transport is unsafe. In fact, medical flights save hundreds of lives in the US every year, especially in areas where the road transport is poor.
