Intermountain life flight preflight risk assessment score and transport outcomes.

Purpose: in 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration recommended helicopter emergency medical systems implement a pre-flight risk assessment score (PRAS) to help pilots assess flight risks. To date, there are no studies evaluating the PRAS. This study examined the transport outcome (successful, aborted or turned-down) associated with our PRAS.

Methods: PRASs from August 2005 through April 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Before each flight, pilots filled out a PRAS if the total calculated score was ≥ 15 or the flight was aborted or turned down for weather. PRASs were described in unsuccessful outcomes (aborted vs. turned down).

Results: 4844 of 4986 (97%) transports had PRAS < 15 with 142 PRASs (3%) being reported. Twenty-nine reports were excluded because the transport was "cancelled en route" (3), the recalculated PRAS was < 15 (21), or the PRAS was reported as a weather-related successful flight (5). Of the 113 PRASs reported, all 28 non-weather-related PRAS ≥ 15 transports were successful. Weather-related PRASs appear to be similar for aborted (20) vs. turned-down (65) flights.

Conclusion: transport success rates for our PRASs < 15 (97%) and non-weather-related PRASs ≥ 15 (100%) are high. Weather-related aborted vs. turned-down PRASs have wide variability and show a high percentage (41%) of PRASs < 15.