ELBA, N.Y. — On the same day of the fatal crash of a Mercy Flight Helicopter earlier this week the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration was out with a new directive to address safety concerns involving the model of helicopter involved in the ill fated flight.
The directive, which is available online, cites concerns with parts of the tail rotor of the Bell 429 helicopter, which was the same type being flown by pilot Jim Sauer of Churchville and Bell flight instructor Stewart Dietrich, both of whom died in the crash in the town of Elba.
"We're going to be checking the rotor blades. We are going to be checking the tail rotor," National Transportation Safety Board Air Safety Inspector Aaron McCarter said on Wednesday, the day following the crash.
McCarter noted that the tail boom that contains the tail rotor separated from the helicopter and was found 300 feet from the main wreckage.
It could be several months and possibly more than a year before a final report, which might determine the cause of the crash, will be issued.
The specific concern cited in the FAA directive is with the tail rotor pitch link, after cases of wear on parts in some Bell 429's were reported.
The FAA warned that if not addressed it could result in a "mechanical failure and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter."
Despite concerns raised previously, at no time did the FAA order this model of helicopter grounded, although in late 2019 it issued a directive for pitch links be routinely inspected for wear.
The new directive that came out the day of the crash now calls for the replacement of certain components within the pitch link.
However, that directive wasn't to go into effect until May 31, a little more than a month after Tuesday's crash.