A series of maintenance errors was responsible for the Dec. 7, 2011, crash of a Sundance Helicopters Eurocopter AS350 B2 in the mountains east of Las Vegas, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says.
The pilot and all four passengers on the “Twilight Tour” sightseeing flight were killed in the crash, and the helicopter was destroyed.
At an NTSB meeting convened to review the accident, Chairman Deborah Hersman noted that research has shown that the primary category of maintenance error is “failing to carry out necessary actions.
“And that is our finding from this investigation. Inserting a small pin, smaller than a paper clip, and just one small step in a routine maintenance procedure, was the necessary action. The omission of this action was the difference between an uneventful flight and tragedy.”
The flight began at 1621 local time, when the helicopter took off at dusk from Las Vegas McCarran International Airport in visual meteorological conditions with…
