Texting While Flying Linked to Commercial Crash in First
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Texting by a pilot before and during a 2011 medical-helicopter flight in Missouri contributed to its crash, the first time such distractions have been implicated in a fatal commercial-aviation accident, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board found.
The distraction from texting helped lead the pilot to take off without enough fuel, the investigative agency found at a hearing today in Washington. The helicopter’s engine stopped after the pilot reported that he had more fuel than was aboard, the NTSB found.