The NTSB hasn’t yet issued its report on the fatal Skylife air ambulance crash in December 2015. But a Fresno judge has ruled that regardless of the cause, the family of one of the paramedics on board will not be allowed to sue either the operator of the helicopter (Rogers Helicopter) or the helicopter’s
New Zealand Asks Whether Robinson Helicopters Are Simply Too Dangerous
Robinson helicopters are popular in New Zealand. But while they make up only 35% of New Zealand’s helicopter fleet, they account for 64% of all of New Zealand’s fatal accidents.
Why?
Some say the helicopter is especially prone to "mast bumping," a phenomenon where the rotor head tilts to such a degree that the
Pearl Harbor Helicopter Crash: Settling with Power?
Today a Bell helicopter crashed into Pearl Harbor near the Arizona Memorial. Reports are that everyone survived.
Some are saying the helicopter experienced engine failure. Unlikely. Instead, the pilot probably experienced "settling with power." That’s when the helicopter is forced down by the downdraft it creates with its own
SkyLife HEMS Crash and Weather
The SkyLife Bell 407 air ambulance helicopter departed from Porterville Airport at 6:52. It crashed minutes later, halfway into its 50 mile flight to San Joaquin Hospital in Bakersfield. The four aboard 
will killed, including the patient being transported.
The flying conditions at Porterville were acceptable. Though it was dark, the weather was 3300
overcast
EMS Industry Leader Commits to Retrofitting Helicopter Fleet with Crashworthy Fuel Systems
Earlier this summer, the NTSB asked the FAA to require helicopter manufactures to equip all new aircraft with crashworthy fuel systems. If history is any guide, we can expect the FAA to ignore that recommendation, despite that the FAA has known of the dangers posed by existing fuel system for decades.
But now Air
NTSB Recommends Crashworthy Fuel Tanks for All New Helicopters
Robinson Helicopters began installing crash-resistant fuel tanks in 2010. Robinson Helicopters with fuel tanks installed before then tend to catch fire during accidents that, but for the fire, would have been survivable.
The Australian authorities thought that the safer tanks were a good idea. Enough Robinsons had caught fire after minor accidents that in 2013
NTSB Asks FAA To Ground R44’s WIth Aluminum Fuel Tanks
Robinson Helicopters has been installing bladder-style fuel tanks in its R44 helicopters since 2009. But much of the fleet manufactured before then is still flying with the old-style aluminum tanks that tend to rupture in otherwise minor accidents.
Last year, following a string of needless post-crash R44 fires, the Australian civil aviation authorities grounded
Robinson R66 Crashes: Two More Lawsuits Filed
The Robinson R66’s safety record to date is troubling. The aircraft did not go into production until 2010 and the fleet is very small. Yet a total of five R66 helicopters have already crashed, killing 11:
- July 12, 2011, Flandes, Colombia, pilot and passenger killed;
- October 1, 2011, near Philip, South Dakota, pilot killed;
Another Robinson R44 Helicopter Explodes on Impact
This Robinson R44 crash was in Australia.
Witnesses said that nearby restaurant staff “grabbed every fire extinguisher in the building, but there were too many flames . . . There was nothing anyone could do.”
No occupant of a properly-designed helicopter should be burned in an otherwise survivable impact. Unfortunately, the fuel tanks installed in
Another Robinson R44 Burns on Impact
Another Robinson R44 Helicopter rolled over and almost immediately caught fire. This time it was at Slaton Municipal Airport in Slaton, Texas. According to the Avalanche-Journal, the 
helicopter was engulfed in flames within 10 seconds of the helicopter rolling onto its side.
Fortunately, the pilot got out. But the R44 is racking up quite