Story ID: 013RotorUpdateAINJan12
Accident Rate in Gulf of Mexico Improves
By: Mark Huber
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Word Count: 72
The helicopter accident rate in the Gulf of Mexico has been decreasing since 2007, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy. For the years 2000 to 2009, an average of 8.2 helicopter accidents occurred in the Gulf of Mexico annually. Poor decision-making by pilots accounted for 47 percent of fatal accidents, while loss of engine power was the cause of one-third of all fatal crashes.