Earlier this year, in Brownsville, Tennessee, a Eurocopter AS350-B3,operated by Hospital Wing, crashed in a field after dropping off a patient in Jackson, Tennessee. All three persons aboard the helicopter were fatal.  NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman and Vice Chairman Christopher Hart accompanied the team.  Paul Cox (ERA) was designated as the Investigator-in-Charge. 

"Emergency Medical Service helicopters are a valuable lifesaving resource. However, we must ensure that these aircraft are operated in a safe manner," said Chairman Hersman, on-scene spokesman at the accident.    

Improve the safety of Emergency Medical Services is on the NTSB's Federal Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements.

In February 2009, the NTSB held a 4-day public hearing on the safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) operations.  The goal of the hearing was for the safety Board to learn more about helicopter HEMS operations to better evaluate the factors that lead to accidents. Witnesses and parties at the hearing represented a range of HEMS-related communities, including pilots, medical personnel, managers, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials who provide oversight.

On September 1, 2009 the Safety Board issued 19 recommendations regarding HEMS.  The recommendations address various safety issues including pilot training; safety management systems to minimize risk; collection and analysis of flight, weather, and safety data; flight data monitoring; development of a low altitude airspace infrastructure; and the use of dual pilots, autopilots, and night vision imaging systems .

 The Brownsville, Tennessee accident investigation is still ongoing.