What: Inter-Island Helicopters McDonnell Douglas 369FF helicopter
Where: Kaua'i Hawaii
When: March 11, 2007
Who: Michael Gershon, 60, of Walnut Creek, Calif., and three other passengers.
Why: Safety board concludes manufacturing failure led to Ha'ena fatality-Caused by a manufacturing defect in a tail rotor fitting.
Update
Two of the passengers, Douglas Barton and wife Judy Barton, of Newport, N.H., in June announced a $9.5 million settlement in their lawsuit against Boeing Co., which merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997; Aluminum Precision Products Inc., manufacturer of the defective fitting; and Smoky Mountain Helicopters, the company that operates Inter-Island Helicopters.
An NTSB probable cause report released yesterday said the defect resulted in separation of the tail rotor system and loss of tail rotor control. A contributing factor in the crash was the helicopter's impact with trees as it spiraled down for a crash-landing at the YMCA's Camp Naue. Closer examination of the parts revealed that the tail rotor blade assembly was fractured through the root fitting in the general area that coincided with a hole for the rotor blade retention bolt.
In response to the finding, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency airworthiness directive on April 27, 2007, mandating inspection of the root fittings on certain MD 369 helicopters
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