Safety

The US Federal Aviation Administration has mandated that US operators of 87 Bell 206A and 206B helicopters must replace any pylon support spindles reworked by two Canadian maintenance shops within 16 flight hours, starting on 6 November.

The airworthiness directive follows a Transport Canada directive after an investigation into the fatal Bell 206B crash. The investigation determined that a reworked spindle had failed during flight causing the pilot to lose control of the helicopter, according to the FAA.