An investigation has found that a 2011 medical helicopter crash that killed four people was due at least in part to texting. In response, federal accident investigators have approved a new safety alert warning pilots against using cellphones or other unnecessary devices during operations.
This marks the first time that the National Transportation Safety Board has found texting to have been a cause of a fatal commercial aircraft accident. The five member board unanimously came to the consensus that the incident was due to the pilot having skipped the preflight safety checks, which would have shown that the vehicle was low on fuel, which was exacerbated by fact that he was tired and distracted by his phone.
The investigation revealed that the pilot had sent and received 85 text messages during his 12 hour shift, including 20 that were made during an hour and 41 minute span before the accident. Most of the messages had been to an off-duty female co-worker with whom the pilot was planning on having dinner with that night.
To make matters worse, the pilot had only slept five hours the night before, and was on the last leg of his 12 hour shift, leaving him very fatigued. He was also informed when he began his shift that the helicopter was low on fuel, but subsequently missed several opportunities to fix this before disembarking.
While texting wasn't the sole factor in the accident, he was not texting at the time of the crash in fact, experts believe that it contributed to his distracted state.
"People just have a limited ability to pay attention," commented David Strayer, a University of Utah professor of cognitive and neural science. "It's one of the characteristics of how we are wired."
The crash occurred on August 26, 2011, and resulted in the death of the pilot, a flight nurse, a flight paramedic, and the patient who was being transported from one hospital to another.