news.com.au
State tops accidents for rescue choppers
Leanne Edmistone
January 3, 2005
QUEENSLAND'S helicopter emergency medical services have the worst accident rate in the country, accounting for the industry's only crashes nationally in the past 10 years.
The state's accident rate was also significantly higher than that seen internationally.
A study of 1992-2002 data found Australian medical helicopters had an accident rate of 4.38 for every 100,000 flying hours, but Queensland's rate was 25.03 for every 100,000 flying hours.
In the US, the accident rate was 4.83 (1992-2001) and Germany's was 10.9 (1982-87).
Queensland recorded three accidents between 1992 and 2002 – May 1993, May 1997 and July 2000. A fourth accident in October 2003 was not included in the study, but reinforced its conclusions.
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