Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Charleston, West Virginia
Rotorcraft crashed under unknown circumstances on Blair Mountain Highway while reportedly giving air tours. Helicopter consumed by fire.
MARPAT Aviation
A team of NTSB aviation safety investigators arrived in Logan, West Virginia, on the afternoon of June 23, 2022, to begin the investigation into the June 22 crash of a Bell UH-1B helicopter there. The three passengers, the pilot and the two pilot-rated passengers were fatally injured in the accident.
The local flight was associated with an annual event called the Huey Reunion in which helicopter rides were offered by the organizer, MARPAT Aviation. The accident flight departed Logan County Airport and crashed on a rural road about 3.7 miles northeast of the airport at about 4:57 pm EDT. Much of the wreckage was consumed in a postcrash fire.
The accident flight was the last planned flight of the day. The route for that flight was different from the tour paths that had been flown previously that day.
Over the next several days, investigators will be documenting the accident site, the helicopter, and any perishable evidence that could be relevant to the investigation.
The helicopter was not equipped, nor was it required to be, with either a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.
The helicopter will be recovered from the accident site on June 24 and will be transported to a secure location for further examination.
The Federal Aviation Administration, Bell Textron and Ozark Aeroworks are parties to the investigation and will provide relevant technical and other information as requested by NTSB investigators.
Anyone who witnessed the accident or who has information that may be relevant to the investigation should contact the NTSB by email at witness@ntsb.gov.
The team is expected to complete its on scene work in 5-7 days.
A preliminary report containing the factual information developed during the on-scene phase of the investigation is expected within about 15 calendar days following the accident; it will be posted on the NTSB website and can be accessed through the CAROL database: https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public
Additional investigative updates may be provided as circumstances warrant.
Date: 22-JUN-22
Time: 20:57:00Z
Regis#: N98F
Aircraft Make: BELL
Aircraft Model: UH1B
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Total Fatal: 6
Flight Crew: 1 fatal
Pax: 5 fatal
Activity: SIGHT SEEING
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: DESTROYED
City: LOGAN
State: WEST VIRGINIA
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation may contact them by email witness@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. You can also call the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.
