Trending Topics

Officials: Air ambulance was repaired 3 times before 2016 crash

Federal investigators said the plane had been repaired three times in the six weeks before it crashed Nov. 2016, killing four people

plane-10.jpg

A federal investigation into a 2016 fatal air ambulance crash found that the plane had been repaired multiple times in the six weeks before the incident.

Photo/AP

By EMS1 Staff

ELKO, Nev. — A federal investigation into a 2016 fatal air ambulance crash found that the plane had been repaired multiple times in the six weeks before the incident.

The Associated Press reported that the American Medflight air ambulance underwent three different repairs before crashing in Elko, killing all four people onboard.

Investigators said an oil leak was fixed, a fuel control unit was replaced and a valve was replaced on one engine, the last repair being three days before the crash.

The National Transportation Safety Board, however, said the plane did not exhibit any evidence of engine failure or mechanical malfunction at the time of the crash.

The NTSB had previously said the plane seemed to lose power immediately after takeoff, according to a witness.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.