| Role of pilot instrument proficiency in the safety of helicopter emergency medical services. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 9332629 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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OBJECTIVES: To determine whether instrument-proficient pilots would more safely manage a flight into unplanned instrument meteorologic conditions (IMC) than would nonproficient pilots. METHODS: A controlled experimental study was performed using a full-motion helicopter simulator. Participants were emergency medical services (EMS) pilots with commercial licenses and previous simulator experience who were blinded to the study design and hypothesis. During a simulated EMS mission, cloud ceiling and visibility were decreased until IMC prevailed, and pilot actions were recorded. Data included the altitude at which the aircraft entered IMC, and whether the pilots maintained control of the aircraft, flew within aviation standards (i.e., bank angle, airspeed), and safely landed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight pilots (13 instrument-proficient, 15 nonproficient) participated; they had a median of 6,300 hours of helicopter experience. Two pilots crashed, both from the nonproficient group. The instrument-proficient pilots lost control less often (15% vs 67%, p < 0.05), maintained instrument standards more often (77% vs 40%, p < 0.05), and entered IMC at a higher altitude (689 feet vs 517 feet, p < 0.05) compared with the nonproficient pilots. Instructor comments indicated that the nonproficient pilots made more errors than did the instrument-proficient pilots. CONCLUSIONS: Instrument-proficient pilots more safely manage an unexpected encounter with IMC. Helicopter EMS programs should strongly consider maintaining instrument proficiency to enhance safety. |
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Authors:
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R C Wuerz; R O'Neal |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Clinical Trial; Comparative Study; Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Volume: 4 ISSN: 1069-6563 ISO Abbreviation: Acad Emerg Med Publication Date: 1997 Oct |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 1997-11-25 Completed Date: 1997-11-25 Revised Date: 2006-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 9418450 Medline TA: Acad Emerg Med Country: UNITED STATES |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 972-5 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Center for Emergency Medical Services, Hershey 17033-0850, USA. rwuerz@nursing.hmc.psu.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Accidents, Aviation
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prevention & control* Air Ambulances / standards* Aircraft / instrumentation* Computer Simulation Confidence Intervals Humans Inservice Training Professional Competence* Safety Management Space Simulation / instrumentation Transportation of Patients / methods, standards* United States |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Acad Emerg Med. 1997 Oct;4(10):938-9
[PMID:
9332623
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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