MedFlight records show malfunctions

Medical helicopters tasked with flying Massachusetts' gravest patients to Hub hospitals have faced multiple mechanical incidents in the past two years, including engine failures, reports of smoke and fire in cabins and, just last month, a door falling from a chopper in mid-flight, the Herald has learned. Boston MedFlight, the Bedford-based nonprofit funded by six of Boston’s top hospitals, transports more than 3,000 people a year to hospitals, including 1,700 by air via four helicopters and a jet, said CEO and medical director Suzanne K. Wedel. A Herald review found that in the past 25 months, MedFlight’s fleet of helicopters—which are flown and maintained by Louisiana-based Era Helicopters LLC—have experienced several issues, often with patients on board