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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its final report today on the fatal crash of a Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1B helicopter in West Virginia on June 22, 2022. The report attributes the accident to inadequate inspection procedures by the operator, Marpat Aviation, and insufficient oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The crash resulted in the deaths of all six occupants when the UH-1B “Huey” struck power lines during an attempted forced landing following a loss of engine power.
The incident occurred during the last scheduled passenger trip on the second day of the annual “Huey Reunion” at Logan County Airport (6L4). Licensed in 2014 under the “Experimental Exhibition” category, members of the public could pay for rides in the helicopter during this event. According to the NTSB report, the FAA provided "basically no oversight" of Marpat’s maintenance operations. The board concluded that more comprehensive inspections by Marpat could have likely detected fatigue cracks in an engine component that led to the power loss. Additionally, it noted that FAA inspectors lacked guidance for conducting routine surveillance of aircraft operators with experimental airworthiness certificates, such as that held for this UH-1B.
The NTSB also highlighted that while FAA revised its maintenance standards for ex-military aircraft with experimental airworthiness certificates in 2015, these newer standards did not apply to this aircraft due to its earlier certification date.
