In the 1970's and '80's, I spent a lot of time in helicopters, primarily providing traffic reports in Birmingham.
I was never in an accident, even during those brief minutes when the pilot would let me fly the bird (it was equipped with dual controls).
(that group of four photos were from a trip I wrangled from Birmingham to Los Angeles to pick up a new chopper. A GREAT trip!)
Thought I was never in an accident, I'm sensitive to them, and it occurs to me there have been an especially large number of them in recent months. Here are the stats (courtesy of the website www.AirMedAndRescue.com)
Total US accidents
2019 122 accidents, 24 fatal accidents, 51 fatalities
First half: 69 accidents, 15 fatal accidents, 27 fatalities
Second half: 53 accidents, 9 fatal accidents, 24 fatalities
2018 121 accidents, 24 fatal accidents, 55 fatalities
2017 123 accidents, 20 fatal accidents, 34 fatalities
2016: 108 accidents, 17 fatal accidents, 29 fatalities
2015: 121 accidents, 17 fatal accidents, 28 fatalities
2014: 138 accidents, 21 fatal accidents, 37 fatalities
2013: 146 accidents, 30 fatal accidents, 62 fatalities
The most recent crash killed six people, including the president of a bank.
In 2020, there were 92 helicopter accidents in the United States, with 31 of them being fatal accidents.
More recent data is HERE.
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