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Curt Lewis & Associates Conducts Helicopter Safety Training

FORT WORTH, Texas-(Business Wire)-October 3, 2008 - Helicopter accidents accounted for more than 90 deaths in the U.S. in 2007, with the primary cause attributed to controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Curt Lewis & Associates (CL&A), a multi-discipline technical and scientific consulting firm, has developed a CFIT course to help fixed rotor organizations better understand causes of this type of accident.

Helicopters are increasingly being used for emergency medical services (EMS). Today, an EMS aircraft takes off once every 90 seconds in the U.S., transporting more than 300,000 people. Another rapidly-growing area is helicopter transport in the Gulf of Mexico. More than 6,000 flights occur there daily, most of them short flights to and from oil platforms.

“Our course focuses the organization and the pilots on the causes of CFIT accidents, and offers solutions to prevent or mitigate contributing factors,” says Curt Lewis, CL&A principal. “Helicopters operate in environments that are unforgiving of pilot error, mechanical failure or inattention by maintenance personnel.”

CL&A’s CFIT course, combined with their rotor wing crew resource management (CRM) course, raises the awareness of both a company’s management and its pilots to human factor issues involved in these types of accidents.

In July, CL&A conducted both CFIT and CRM courses for Evergreen Helicopters, Inc., an aviation firm based in Oregon that operates Types I, II and III helicopters. According to Evergreen Helicopters’ Director of Training Mike Wilson, the company successfully incorporated the CFIT and CRM training provided by CL&A into their Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean operations.

CL&A tailors CFIT and CRM training programs to a customer’s operations, provides all training materials and conducts the training onsite.

For more information, companies can contact the firm by calling 817.303.9096 or by e-mailing Curt Lewis at: curt@curt-lewis.com.

Curt Lewis & Associates, LLC is a multi-discipline consulting firm specializing in aviation and industrial safety. The firm, established in 2005, targets system safety audits and safety training programs, risk management, accident investigation and litigation support. For more information, visit www.curt-lewis.com.

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