Safety Agency Cites Lax Inspections and Federal Oversight in Deadly Helicopter Crash

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that inadequate inspections and lax federal oversight contributed to a 2022 helicopter crash that killed six people in Logan County, W.Va.

The “Huey” helicopter crashed in June 2022, after hitting power lines during a forced landing after the aircraft lost power. Investigators found that an engine component failure caused the power loss.

The N.T.S.B. said that the helicopter’s operator, Marpat Aviation, “would likely have discovered the fatigue cracks and other engine damage that led to the failure of the engine component had it done more comprehensive inspections.”

Marpat Aviation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The N.T.S.B. also faulted the Federal Aviation Administration for providing “basically no oversight” of Marpat Aviation. The N.T.S.B. said the F.A.A. issued a special airworthiness certification for the helicopter under the “experimental exhibition” category in December 2014. But the F.A.A. “lacked guidance for inspectors to perform routine surveillance of operators with experimental airworthiness certificates.”

The N.T.S.B. said that while the F.A.A. inspection requirements for former military aircraft were revised in 2015, the more thorough standards did not apply in this case because the helicopter’s most recent airworthiness certificate was issued earlier.

Marpat Aviation was hosting its annual “Huey Reunion” at Logan County Airport, where members of the public could pay to fly in the former military helicopter with a “safety pilot” or take a ride for a smaller fee. The crash occurred during the last scheduled flight of the day on the event’s second day, killing all six on board.

The N.T.S.B. made a series of recommendations in the wake