The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is calling on regulators to require immediate inspections of some tail boom components on Bell 407s, citing a June accident in which the tail boom separated from the fuselage of a 407 during an air tour flight in Hawaii.
The NTSB said Friday that it had identified the problem during its ongoing investigation of the June 8 crash near Kalea, Hawaii. The pilot and two passengers were seriously injured; three other passengers received minor injuries.
“With hundreds currently in service, the Bell 407 helicopter is a popular model among tour operators, police departments, air ambulance providers and many others, which is why our finding is so urgent,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. “We’re calling on regulators to act immediately, before there’s another accident.”
The NTSB said that accident investigators who examined the wreckage could not locate the upper left attachment hardware. Three other fittings and the assoc…
