FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine 
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute 

Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-23/08

Title and Subtitle: Human Factors in Helicopter Air Ambulance Operations Annotated Bibliography (2014 – 2022)

Report Date: February 2023

Authors: Hannah M. Baumgartner, Rebecca DiDomenica, Justin Durham, Peter T. Hu

Abstract: Helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operations involve particularly challenging conditions, including landing at unfamiliar, remote, or unimproved sites with terrain and obstacle hazards, and involve urgent or time-sensitive situations. Associated human factors (HF) issues including fatigue, stress, human error, and perceived pressure to fly compound the challenging nature of HAA operations. This report aims to inform the current understanding of HF risks and considerations within HAA operations spanning 2014 – 2022 through a focused review of flightcrew fatigue considerations, environmental conditions, areas for increased training opportunities, and other operational risk factors

Keywords: Helicopter air ambulance; human factors; fatigue; training 

No. of Pages: 60