Board Says Passengers Should Be Told They Are Not Flying Commercial

The NTSB has issued three recommendations directed specifically at the Air Care Alliance which could have ramifications for any organization offering charitable flights.

The board recommends that The Air Care Alliance require voluntary pilot organizations to verify pilot currency before every flight. It further says that the voluntary pilot organization should be required to inform passengers, at the time of inquiry about a flight, that the charitable medical flight would not be conducted under the same standards that apply to a commercial flight (such as under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 or Part 135).

The final recommendation is that all voluntary pilot organizations to work with ACA and other charitable medical transport organizations to develop and disseminate written safety guidance, best practices, and training material for volunteer pilots who operate charitable patient transport flights under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. It further would require all voluntary pilot organizations to implement those best practices and training. The information should address, at a minimum, aeronautical decision-making; proper preflight planning; pilot qualification, training, and currency; and self-induced pressure.

The recommendations stem from four accidents in 2007 and 2008 where in all but one case a passenger on board a charitable medical flight was killed. The pilot was killed in the fourth incident en route to picking up his passengers. All flights were arranged by ACA members, and in each case, pilot proficiency was cited either the probable cause or a contributing factor to the accident. In its letter outlining the recommendations to the ACA, the NTSB noted that the pilots in these accidents were experienced and likely should have been aware of the risks associated with taking off with excessive tail or crosswinds or flying into deteriorating weather. Although the NTSB could not determine why these experienced pilots made the inappropriate decisions that led to the accidents, the pilots may have been subject to self-induced pressure to start or complete the flight because of their passengers’ serious medical conditions.

The NTSB has asked for an initial response from the ACA within 90 days addressing the actions that have been taken, what plans have been made to implement the recommendations.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov, www.aircareall.org