Air ambulances save lives daily. But as the industry has grown, so have the number of deadly accidents involving air medical flights.

In February, the National Transportation Safety Board held a four-day hearing on the industry’s safety standards. The hearing came after a year during which 29 people died in 13 emergency medical helicopter crashes.

“There is a lot of angst in the industry,” said Greg Hildenbrand, executive director of Life Star of Kansas.

None of last year’s deadly crashes was in Kansas. In the past five years, just one air ambulance helicopter accident has been reported in Kansas, according to National Transportation Safety Board records.

A pilot and medical crew member were seriously injured in 2007 when a Midwest LifeTeam helicopter crashed while arriving at the scene of an traffic accident near Mullinville. Witnesses said the pilot lost control of the helicopter after a semitrailer passed through its flight path as it was attempting to land.

In April, the Federal Aviation Administration announced changes that would require helicopters to have more safety equipment.

On this list are terrain awareness warning systems, which alert pilots to obstacles on land. It’s a system that is already on the Life Star helicopter based at the Lawrence Municipal Airport, which covers the majority of air ambulance calls in Douglas County.

And Life Star is in the process of equipping its Lawrence helicopter with night vision goggles, a process that takes several years and around $80,000 to $100,000 per helicopter, Hildenbrand said.

The Association of Air Medical Services recommends that all medical night flights that aren’t conducted under instrumental flight rules use night vision goggles.