The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Final Report was issued today on the fatal West Virginia crash of a Vietnam War-era Bell UH-1B helicopter on June 22, 2022. According to the 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.
It seems like this category of certification needs to be reevaluated. I think a lot of people, who pay to ride on aircraft certified in this category, assume these aircraft, and the pilots that fly them, meet a higher standard of safety than they are actually required to meet.
the 412 is powered by the Pratt and Whitney Canada twin-pack power plant with two turboshaft engines.
… records the lowest in-flight shut-down rates of aircraft turboshaft engines. If one engine is shut down, a single engine can produce emergency power for 30 minutes.
I too flew HUEYs in Viet Nam (Dustoff 11 9/68-9/69) and taught the transition course at Mother Rucker for 14 months after. I also had an un airworthy H model at East Coast Aero Tech A&P school outside Boston. As an instructor I would demonstrate turbine engine runs and helicopter control systems. It is one of the great aircraft of all time. Like anything else, poor maintenance will cause anything to fail.