SEATTLE - They are a routine sight at hospitals like Harborview Medical Center. Helicopters from Airlift Northwest fly in the critically injured. Flying patients under the care of skilled nurses saves critical time, but flying has its risks.
"It takes three to go, and one to say no," said pilot John Utecht.
Nationally, aeromedical helicopters typically fly with one pilot and two nurses, but if flying conditions are treacherous, one crew member can call off the flight.
"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't feel I could go home at night to my family," said Utecht.
Airlift undertook major reforms when, in 2005, a pilot and three nurses were killed when they crashed into Puget Sound at night.
Just a month later, an Airlift helicopter crashed into a hospital courtyard with a patient on board. That time, all survived.
"It was really hard to be here and get into an aircraft after that. But one of the things that always is my priority is the patients patients really need us," said Brenda Nelson, Airlift's Interim Chief Flight Nurse and 14-year veteran of flying.
Nelson said it's difficult to watch other airlift programs not set the same standards as Airlift Northwest.
"We'd like to say, this is what it takes to be safe, follow our lead," she said.
Utecht points to equipment in the helicopter.
"This is the auto pilot," he says. "This is the primary GPS."
Utecht also flies with night vision goggles and has the TAWS system to avoid hitting mountains and some other aircraft. These are just some of his safety tools.
"We have certain weather minimums from Air Methods we have to abide by," he said.
But The National Transportation Safety Board still puts the safety of the nation's fleet of medical helicopters at the top of its most wanted list, saying too many lifesaving helicopters are flying without much of the safety equipment and procedures adopted at Airlift.
With last week's fatal accident in Arkansas, 15 people have died this year in medical helicopter crashes.
