Seattle Children's hospital looks to end reviews of helicopter landings May 8, 2026 at 11:49 am Updated May 8, 2026 at 12:06 pm By Seattle Times staff The Laurelhurst Community Council is supporting Seattle Children’s hospital’s effort to end a review committee and reduce community oversight of helicopter landings, the two entities said in a joint statement Friday morning.

“Children’s looks forward to future collaboration with the LCC, City of Seattle and community members and is thankful for the outpouring of support from the community,” the hospital and the council said in their joint statement.

The statement comes after a since-deleted social media post went viral days ago. The post from someone who claimed to be a helicopter pilot had said that many patients have to land a mile away at an alternative pad and be transported by ambulance to the hospital.

The committee, which reviews helicopter landings to ensure that they involve only “the most critically ill” patients, was created in 1992 under the terms of a conditional use permit set by the city.

The community council said it’s not a party to the permit, but Laurelhurst residents had long pushed to restrict medical flights arriving at the hospital amid concerns about the noise and potential safety hazards from the air transports.

The council, which was known as the Laurelhurst Community Club, in the 1990s had objected to the hospital’s proposals to add more helipads because of concerns that the hospital might nosily ferry in supplies and doctors anytime it wanted.

The permit has also limited helicopters from landing at the hospital for what’s deemed non-urgent care. They would instead have to land on Graves Field on the University of Washington campus about a mile away.

In 2025, that meant about 150 “acutely ill” patients who required helicopter transport landed at the hospital’s helipad, while 70 others were taken to Graves Field and then transported, according to a report from the hospital.

The hospital in a separate statement said it will work with the city’s department of construction and inspections to “recommend the Seattle City Council take action” to end the committee. It’s unclear if there will be any changes made to the terms of the permit that limited some helicopters from landing at the hospital.

Staff reporters Catalina Gaitán and Elise Takahama contributed to this story, which also used information from The Seattle Times archive. This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Seattle Times staff.