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(Teton Gravity Research) – US National Park Service search-and-rescue teams and the Arizona Department of Public Safety launched a full-scale emergency air operation in response to flash flooding that sent a wall of water, mud, and boulders rushing through the inner corridor of Grand Canyon National Park on Aug. 29.

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(AIN) – Loss-of-visual-reference accidents are likely to involve helicopters at more than double the rate of airplanes, according to a series of Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigations recorded from 2000 to 2021. The TSB issued four recommendations as a result of the findings.

(DroneLife) – As massive wildfires continue to ravage vast areas of the West and Northwestern United States, the problem of unauthorized drones flying in disaster areas continues to hamper aerial firefighting operations.

(HeliHub) – Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has completed a monthlong flight-test campaign in Germany with Singapore’s first indigenously designed, engineered, and built electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

(MundoGeo) – Operational intelligence platform AirData announced Aug. 26 that it has passed 65 million drone flights covering more than 850,000 drones and 470,000 pilots worldwide, with 15 million flights added in the past 15 months.

(KITV) – In remote parts of Ka’u, Hawaii, dozens of residents have been trapped without running water, electricity, and basic necessities since Hurricane Lala hit the Big Island earlier this month, but longtime helicopter companies in Honolulu are helping to fly in aid to families.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of this accident to be
the pilot’s failure to ensure the loading hose had been disconnected before takeoff, which resulted in an interrupted takeoff and subsequent loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the ground loader’s failure to disconnect the hose before communicating with the pilot.

(AIN) – Transport Canada has issued an interim order detailing temporary revisions to align Canada’s aviation regulations with International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO–recommended standards. The revisions stem from 2023 and 2025 ICAO audits that revealed several misalignments between Canada’s aviation regulations and ICAO standards.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Leonardo S.p.A. Model A109A, A109A II, A109C, A109K2, A109E, A119, and AW119 MkII helicopters and certain Model A109S and AW109SP helicopters. This AD, prompted by a report of an incorrectly installed swashplate duplex bearing, requires a one-time inspection of the bearing and, depending on the result, corrective action. The rule is effective Oct. 2.