Changes Follow Fatal Helicopter Accident
Both the FAA and NTSB called for change after five people died in a helicopter accident in New York in March. They were flying in a Eurocopter AS350 with the doors off, a popular option for sightseeing flights, and were wearing special harnesses that were difficult to release. The helicopter lost power, and the pilot made an emergency landing on the East River. The aircraft then rolled over and sank. Only the pilot, who was wearing a different kind of harness, was able to escape. The FAA prohibited doors-off flights unless passengers have quick-release harnesses. The NTSB called on the FAA to prohibit commercial flights of all kinds that secure passengers without quick-release mechanisms.
AOPA Reports Progress On FBO Complaints
Two complaints about FBO pricing and practices that AOPA filed with the FAA last August have completed the “reply and response” phase and now will be studied by the FAA, AOPA said in March. The complaints address “egregious” fees and restricted airport access imposed on GA operators by FBOs at Asheville Regional Airport, in North Carolina, and at Key West International Airport, in Florida. AOPA said those airports and FBOs have failed to fulfill federal grant obligations to protect the airport for public use. Signature Flight Support, the sole FBO at both airports, and the airport operators have submitted responses to the FAA disputing AOPA’s complaints.
