The husband of a female patient killed in recent EMS AS350 crash has filed a lawsuit against operator Air Methods, saying the company took an unnecessary risk by flying with low fuel.

Victor Tacoronte’s wife, Terry, and three other people were killed on 26th August when a LifeNet helicopter crashed near Mosby, about 20 miles northeast of Kansas City.  The lawsuit filed on Thursday contends that Air Methods did not put enough fuel in the Eurocopter AS350 to transport Tacoronte from a hospital in Bethany, near the Iowa border, to Liberty, The Kansas City Star reported.  LifeNet Air Medical Services, a subsidiary of Air Methods, and Heartland Regional Medical Center in St. Joseph, where the flight originated, are also defendants in the suit.

“This was more than negligence,” said Kansas City attorney Gary C. Robb. “It was an inexcusable accident based on a flawed operating policy.”

The accident is reported on further in the safety pages of HeliHub.com and can be seen at 26-Aug-11 N352LN Eurocopter AS350B2 Mosby, US-Missouri (4F)

William P Johnson – HeliHub.com Washington correspondent