SASless
10th Jul 2006, 18:43
Finally, the FAA is beginning to respond to death and mayhem in the EMS industry it appears......but with six fatal crashes in one year....what would the FAA consider "Serious safety issues"?
ThePittsburghChannel.com
* Video: Team 4: Medical Copter Restrictions
Team 4: Probe Leads To Medical Helicopter Restrictions
The following report by Team 4 investigator Paul Van Osdol first aired July 7, 2006, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a local company that is one of the country's largest MedEvac operators -- a company with problems exposed by Team 4.
CJ Systems of West Mifflin operates throughout the country. Locally, it supplies pilots and helicopters for STAT MedEvac, which services UPMC and other area hospitals.
The investigation comes in the wake of six crashes by CJ Systems in the past year, including two in the past two months.
One crash happened May 30 as a CJ Systems helicopter was approaching a hospital in Washington, D.C. The patient on board was killed.
Just three weeks later, another CJ helicopter crashed in Florida.
Those accidents came after four other CJ Systems crashes last year -- none local -- that resulted in four deaths.
All of that prompted the FAA to launch an investigation. It's ongoing, but the FAA has already ordered CJ to restrict its operations.
A spokesman for the FAA said the company is now allowed to fly only under visual flight rules, meaning a minimum visibility of 3 miles.
Those restrictions caused concern for STAT MedEvac, which is CJ's biggest client and the dominant medical helicopter company in western Pennsylvania.
STAT has changed to a new operator at its bases in Greensburg and Cranberry. It is considering changes at other bases, including UPMC Passavant and Children's Hospital.
"Certainly, the restrictions that are placed upon CJ Systems have the potential for us not to be able to respond the way we need to respond, and that's why we made the change we made," STAT spokesman John Chamberlin told Team 4.
CJ Systems called the FAA investigation "a positive situation."
"We're working together with the FAA. It's a cooperative effort to make us and the industry safer," company spokesperson Sandy Koeppl said.
The FAA will not comment on the details of its findings thus far, but a spokesman said if the agency found truly serious safety problems at CJ, it would have grounded all its helicopters.
The FAA investigation should be completed in the next two months.
ThePittsburghChannel.com
* Video: Team 4: Medical Copter Restrictions
Team 4: Probe Leads To Medical Helicopter Restrictions
The following report by Team 4 investigator Paul Van Osdol first aired July 7, 2006, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a local company that is one of the country's largest MedEvac operators -- a company with problems exposed by Team 4.
CJ Systems of West Mifflin operates throughout the country. Locally, it supplies pilots and helicopters for STAT MedEvac, which services UPMC and other area hospitals.
The investigation comes in the wake of six crashes by CJ Systems in the past year, including two in the past two months.
One crash happened May 30 as a CJ Systems helicopter was approaching a hospital in Washington, D.C. The patient on board was killed.
Just three weeks later, another CJ helicopter crashed in Florida.
Those accidents came after four other CJ Systems crashes last year -- none local -- that resulted in four deaths.
All of that prompted the FAA to launch an investigation. It's ongoing, but the FAA has already ordered CJ to restrict its operations.
A spokesman for the FAA said the company is now allowed to fly only under visual flight rules, meaning a minimum visibility of 3 miles.
Those restrictions caused concern for STAT MedEvac, which is CJ's biggest client and the dominant medical helicopter company in western Pennsylvania.
STAT has changed to a new operator at its bases in Greensburg and Cranberry. It is considering changes at other bases, including UPMC Passavant and Children's Hospital.
"Certainly, the restrictions that are placed upon CJ Systems have the potential for us not to be able to respond the way we need to respond, and that's why we made the change we made," STAT spokesman John Chamberlin told Team 4.
CJ Systems called the FAA investigation "a positive situation."
"We're working together with the FAA. It's a cooperative effort to make us and the industry safer," company spokesperson Sandy Koeppl said.
The FAA will not comment on the details of its findings thus far, but a spokesman said if the agency found truly serious safety problems at CJ, it would have grounded all its helicopters.
The FAA investigation should be completed in the next two months.