NYC helicopter that plunged into Hudson River had mechanical issue months before fatal wreck

ny post ^

[BenLurkin]

The ill-fated Bell206L-4 LongRanger IV aircraft, owned and operated by New York Helicopter, experienced a mechanical issue with its transmission assembly last September, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.

Records show the doomed chopper was built in 2004 and had already logged 12,728 hours of flight time when it was forced into repair.

An investigation is underway to determine what caused the aircraft to drop out of the sky and plunge into the river. The probe will comb through the pilot’s experience, the still-incomplete wreckage, and the Big Apple company that runs the sightseeing tours.

Investigators will also review the maintenance work that was done on the doomed aircraft, including the completion of two recent safety airworthiness directives the FAA issued on Bell 206L model helicopters.

The federal agency issued the first directive in December 2022 and called for the inspection and possible replacement of the models’ main rotor blades due to “delamination” — an issue with the internal layers of the blade separating due to material fatigue, damage or other defects.

The problem, if not fixed, could potentially cause the rotor blade to fail.

A second directive, issued in May 2023, required the testing and possible replacement of tail rotor shafts on eight models, including the one involved in Thursday’s deadly wreck, according to the FAA, which issued the alert after a chopper lost a tail-rotor drive due to a joint failur

[Beowulf9]

Four people dead. Two are children who trusted their parents decisions. Are those kids dead roosters?

Wake up. Life is a gift. We don’t own it. That is throwing it into the wind and hoping it comes back in one piece.

It didn’t.

[Blood of Tyrants]

ALL mechanical vehicles will have problems eventually. The question is was it repaired properly.