NTSB finds operator error likely caused fatal crash of medical helicopter

By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A new report finds that operator error likely caused a medical helicopter to break apart mid-air and crash during a training exercise in New York last year, killing both men on board. The Mercy Flight helicopter was on its second training run of the day when it went down in a field in the Genesee County town of Elba in April 2022.  No patients were on board. The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report on the accident and says that the pilots’ “inappropriate flight control inputs” caused the main rotor blade to make contact with the helicopter tail, leading to the crash.