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Huntsville, Texas

Helicopter safety worries: A helicopter “air ambulance” carrying a patient, a nurse, a paramedic, and a pilot crashed near Huntsville this week, killing all on board and prompting an urgent safety review by the Federal Aviation Administration. It’s the fourth fatal crash involving a medical helicopter since December. All four crashes occurred at night and in low-visibility conditions. After a spate of similar accidents in 2006, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that air ambulances add such safety features as night-vision goggles for pilots and sensors that warn when a helicopter is flying too low. The FAA, which directly oversees medical-helicopter safety, declined to make the safety features mandatory, but is now reconsidering that stance.

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