Safety
NTSB Presses FAA on 'Doors Off' Helo Operations
FAA Tweeted it will order the halt of certain doors off operations, but NTSB seeks more definitive action.

The NTSB is prodding the FAA to move forward with a ban on commercial flights that do not use quick-release passenger harnesses. On Monday the safety agency issued an urgent safety recommendation calling on the FAA to “prohibit” such flights into the wake of the NTSB's ongoing investigation of last week's East River helicopter crash in New York City that killed five. The NTSB noted, “The pilot, who was not wearing a harness, only manufacturer-installed lap and shoulder belts, escaped from the helicopter with minor injuries. Five passengers who wore the harnesses in addition to the safety belts remained inside the helicopter and drowned.”