Flying Doctor ditched, no that was the sucessful tender.

The Victorian government,  that's Victoria the state in Australia, are changing the providers of their air ambulance.

After a decade of air ambulance service, the Royal Flying Doctor Service has been dumped in favour of Pel-Air

BUT

Pel-Air is being investigated after one of its medical flights had to ditch in the sea off Norfolk Island in November, leaving two pilots, a doctor, nurse, an ill patient and her partner bobbing in a stormy sea.
Yesterday, Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators released their preliminary report into the Pel-Air ditching, finding that the plane had been only partially fuelled after an air crew decision to fill just the plane's main tanks, leaving wing-tip tanks empty.

One little mistake and everyone remembers it. If they had managed to land no one would know anything, I blame the so-called pilots.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman James Howe said the decision to award Pel-Air the contract was made on commercial and service criteria, and it was well aware of the ditching incident.''We're confident that Pel-Air have taken all the steps necessary to avoid any further situations,'' he said.

Like connecting up the fuel guages or stripping out a lot of stuff that was weighing the planes down? Also they might not have the same sort of expensive professionals on the planes that The Flying Doctors have, really a school leaver with a strong back and a packet of Aspirin is all you need. Luckily it is only sick people from remote areas who will be affected and they are usually strong silent types. One hopes that the Invisibule Hand of teh Market is not going to be pointing down, in this case.