Hawaii tour helicopter crash prompts NTSB call for safety inspections

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The FAA has issued an advisory for a mannequin of helicopter concerned in a Hawaii County crash final June.

The Bell 407 chopper, owned by Paradise Helicopters, went down in a South Level lava area.

Six individuals had been injured within the crash, together with three who had been in severe situation.

The Nationwide Transportation Security Board is now urging operators of Bell 407 helicopters to examine the plane’s tail increase instantly.

“With a whole lot presently in service, the Bell 407 helicopter is a well-liked mannequin amongst tour operators, police departments, air ambulance suppliers, and plenty of others, which is why our discovering is so pressing,” mentioned NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy, in a information launch.

“We’re calling on regulators to behave instantly ― earlier than there’s one other accident.”

Bell 407 operators are being alerted to the potential of the tail increase separating from the fuselage throughout flight, the precise piece that separated from fuselage within the South level crash again in June.

They’re recommending operators examine comparable {hardware} and conduct inspections extra usually.

Proper now, operators are solely required to examine that {hardware} each 300 flight hours. However regulators say inspections should be extra usually.

The helicopter within the Huge Island crash underwent an inspection simply 114 flight hours earlier than the wreck.

Paradise Helicopters says because the accident in June, they’ve additionally applied extra upkeep measures.

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