Crisis in the Sky: Medevac Helicopter Crashes, Deaths Escalating

February 3, 2009— -- Although the nationwide system of medevac helicopters is designed to save lives, it is actually in crisis itself, an ABC News investigation has found.

Since 2004, there have been 53 crashes, resulting in the deaths of 77 people. Despite these fatalities, medevac helicopters are quickly becoming a fast growing business with intense competition for patients. Today, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened a four-day set of hearings into the medevac crashes.

Once the work of ground ambulances, these helicopters are now dispatched about 1000 times each day, in most cases for non-emergency situations. Critics say that because Medicare and insurance companies are willing to pay up to $10,000 a flight, it creates a strong business incentive for companies to perform as many flights as possible.

"Some may say we're in the business to save lives," said Robert Sumwalt, a member of the NTSB. "But what they're really in the business to do, like any other for-profit company, they're in business to make money," he said of the helicopter companies.

Officials of the NTSB say that among the problems behind the rash of fatal medevac crashes are companies refusing to invest in safety equipment and flying missions under questionable weather and visibility conditions.

Business insider Dawn Mancuso, executive director of the Association of Air Medical Services, said the industry recognizes there is a problem with accidents and "we're trying to do our best to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Others, like Chris Waters, aren't convinced that enough is being done. His wife, Stephanie, was one of four people killed in a helicopter crash in Huntsville, TX last June. Waters was still grieving months after the crash when he discovered that Stephanie's company took the flight even after another company turned it down because of bad weather conditions.

"It was the worst thing that could happen," Waters told ABC News.