NTSB Faults Fastener Maintenance in Deadly Chopper Crash

Jason Sandefur

The National Transportation Safety Board said improper fastener maintenance caused a 2007 helicopter crash on the Hawaiian island of Kauai that killed four people.
Federal investigators concluded airways maintenance personnel “failed to properly tighten a clevis pin fastener on the flight control servo,” the Associated Press reports. “They also failed to reinstall a functioning lock washer.”
Likewise, the “company’s failure to ensure its maintenance program was being executed in accordance with federal regulations contributed to the crash,” AP reports.
But the helicopter company CEO says federal investigators are wrong to blame his mechanic, claiming maintenance personnel correctly tightened the clevis pin fastener.
Heli USA Airways CEO Nigel Turner said the NTSB should investigate the helicopter’s manufacturer, which “issued a bulletin lowering tightness recommendations to the level used by Heli USA Airways’ mechanic. �2009 FastenerNews.com