Monday, March 28, 2011
** Pilot error caused unfortunate accident when BC air ambulance chopper hit telephone wires, report says
** New Zealand drivers using hospital parking lot as shortcut create chaos for ambulances
CANADA NEWS
** An unfortunate accident due to pilot error is what caused a BC air ambulance to clip some telephone wires on take-off from Pitt Meadows, BC earlier this month. That is the conclusion of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation which took mere hours to conclude. CTV BC (March 23) said the incident, which occurred after the chopper had landed on a road to transport a patient who fell while pruning trees, was caught on video. The film shows the Helijet helicopter’s blades slicing a telephone line in two, damaging them. The aircraft then lands safely with no one injured.  NTSB investigators said the pilot merely misjudged the distance of the wires.
NEW ZEALAND NEWS
** Impatient drivers using the Christchurch Hospital’s parking lot as a shortcut to avoid traffic congestion are creating chaos for ambulances. The Press (March 24) said some 4,000 drivers a day choose the option, blocking the emergency department entrance. Last Tuesday alone, security guards counted 4,200 cars using the drive thru. Already strained by the recent earthquake’s havoc on people, roads, and parking space, hospital brass have appealed to drivers to cease the practice. In addition, they have hired more security personnel to ease bottlenecks.
