RP grounds all Bell helicopters

RP grounds all Bell helicopters

MANILA (AFP): Philippine authorities have grounded all Bell- 407 helicopters following a crash that left six people dead, a report said on Sunday.

Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief Adelberto Yap was quoted in the Philippine Star as saying that pilots have complained of mechanical defects on the Bell craft.

Yap said he had sent a letter to helicopter maker Bell Corp. informing it of the grounding and complaints of pilots.

On Friday, a privately-owned Bell-407 helicopter crashed in the western island of Palawan, killing all six people on board, including the mother of the provincial governor.

An air force Sikorsky helicopter sent to recover the bodies also crashed, killing all seven crew members.