NTSB Report Reveals Oversight Failures in 2022 West Virginia Helicopter Crash

Investigative Findings on 2022 Helicopter Crash in West Virginia

The National Transportation Safety Board (N.T.S.B.) announced on Tuesday that a combination of insufficient inspections and lax federal oversight played a significant role in the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of six individuals in Logan County, West Virginia, in 2022.

The incident involved a “Huey” helicopter, which crashed in June 2022 after it collided with power lines during an emergency landing following a loss of power. Investigators determined that a failure of an engine component was the root cause of the power loss leading to the crash.

The N.T.S.B. highlighted that the operator of the helicopter, Marpat Aviation, “would likely have discovered the fatigue cracks and other engine damage that contributed to the failure of the engine component had it conducted more thorough inspections.” As of now, Marpat Aviation has not responded to requests for comment regarding the findings.

In addition to scrutinizing Marpat Aviation, the N.T.S.B. criticized the Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.) for its “basically no oversight” of the company. The F.A.A. had issued a special airworthiness certification for the helicopter under the “experimental exhibition” category back in December 2014. However, the N.T.S.B. pointed out that the F.A.A. “lacked guidance for inspectors to perform routine surveillance of operators with experimental airworthiness certificates.”

The agency further noted that although the F.A.A. revised its inspection requirements for former military aircraft in 2015, these updated standards did not apply in this specific case since the helicopter’s most recent airworthiness certificate was granted before the revisions took effect.

At the time of the crash, Marpat Aviation was hosting its annual “Huey Reunion” at Logan County Airport, allowing members of the public to pay for flights in the former military helicopter under the supervision of a “safety pilot” or take a shorter ride for a nominal fee. The fateful accident occurred during the last scheduled flight of the day on the second day of the event, resulting in the loss of all six passengers on board.

In response to the crash, the N.T.S.B. has issued a series of recommendations aimed at improving safety. Notably, they suggest that other aircraft operating under the experimental exhibition category should adhere to the latest inspection standards, with the most recent guidelines dated July 2017. An F.A.A. spokesperson stated, “The F.A.A. takes N.T.S.B. recommendations very seriously and will provide a response to the six new recommendations within an appropriate time frame.”

The N.T.S.B. also noted that Marpat Aviation had previously conducted more comprehensive inspections when the helicopter was under a restricted-category airworthiness certificate, with the last detailed examination occurring between October 2013 and December 2014. While the operator was not mandated to uphold those rigorous standards after transitioning to the experimental category, the N.T.S.B. concluded that “Marpat Aviation’s decision not to employ more stringent inspection protocols when operating under an experimental category certificate was also a significant factor contributing to the accident.”