Safety board cites lax FAA oversight in 2022 fatal West Virginia helicopter crash

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday a June 2022 crash of a West Virginia former military helicopter that killed six was caused in part by lack of sufficient government oversight.

The board cited Federal Aviation Administration failures in the crash of a Bell Helicopter UH-1B in Amherstdale, West Virginia as well as inadequate operator inspections.

The NTSB said the FAA provided “basically no oversight” of the helicopter operator MARPAT Aviation and added the FAA did not require adherence to more robust inspection standards adopted in 2015.