Helicopter protocols upgraded in Ariz.

By Joe Ferguson
The Arizona Daily Sun

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz — Seven air ambulance companies operating throughout Arizona have agreed to major changes in how pilots will communicate with each other as they approach Flagstaff Medical Center.

The changes include well-defined approach paths laid out miles before the hospital and a schedule for radio broadcasts on an assigned frequency intended for other pilots operating in the area to announce their exact location, estimated time of arrival and route being used.

The new protocols come slightly less than 20 months after the June 2008 mid-air collision of two medical helicopters that killed seven over the skies of Flagstaff. Federal findings on the possible causes of the crash centered on communications protocols that either were not followed by dispatchers and pilots or that did not provide an adequate safety margin when two aircraft were approaching the hospital at roughly the same time.

Full Story: Copter protocols upgraded