NTSB Cites Lax Maintenance in Fatal UH-1B Crash

According to the NTSB report, the accident was caused, in part, by inadequate inspection procedures by the operator, Marpat Aviation, and a lack of FAA oversight. All six occupants died when the UH-1B “Huey” hit power lines during an attempted forced landing following a loss of engine power.

The accident flight was the last scheduled passenger trip of the second day of the annual Huey Reunion at Logan County Airport (6L4). The helicopter was licensed in 2014 under the experimental exhibition category, and members of the public could pay to go for rides during the event.

The report said the FAA provided “basically no oversight” of Marpat’s maintenance operations. The NTSB found that Marpat likely would have discovered the fatigue cracks in the engine component that caused the power loss if it had conducted more comprehensive inspections.

The NTSB also wrote that the FAA “lacked guidance” for inspectors to provide routine surveillance of aircraft operators with experimental airworthiness certificates, such as the one held for the UH-1B involved in the accident.

The investigative agency noted that the FAA had revised its maintenance standards for ex-military aircraft with experimental airworthiness certificates in 2015, but the aircraft in question was not required to meet the newer standards based on the date of its certification.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.