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The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of this accident to be
the flight crew’s failure to properly identify the heliport in dark night conditions, which resulted
in the flight crew attempting to land and a subsequent impact with trees and terrain.

Wisk Aero announced Aug. 26 the groundbreaking of a state-of-the-art vertiport at Hollister Municipal Airport (KCVH) in California. The facility is one of the first public airport vertiports in the United States designed to support both piloted and autonomous operations, says the company.

This action proposes special conditions for the Robinson Helicopter Co. Model R66 helicopter. This helicopter, as modified by Skyryse, will have a novel design feature compared with the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for normal category helicopters. These proposed special conditions contain additional safety standards the FAA considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by existing airworthiness standards. Comments on this proposal are due by Oct. 13.

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.

(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 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.

(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.

(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.

(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.