The National Transportation Board’s preliminary report on the second of two deadly helicopter crashes on Kauai was made public Friday. The report does not give the definitive cause of the crash, but offers clues including information about fractures on the tail of the chopper that may have been caused by stress.

The Inter-Island Helicopters aircraft went down in Haena on the afternoon of March 11th. One passenger was killed. Three were injured. Pilot Donald Torres was not hurt. The chopper went down after its tail rotor blades and tail rotor output shaft separated from the tail rotor gearbox and fell into the ocean. That information was available the day of the crash, but NTSB investigators want to know WHY portions of the tail rotor flew off in mid-flight.

According to the preliminary report Torres “checked the nuts that hold the tail rotor section in place … and the nuts were tight and the cotter pins were in place.”

There has been speculation a bird may have hit the tail rotor, or a piece of clothing or other personal item may have blown out of the helicopter and hit the tail rotor.

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(Source: KGMB 9 News)