Tour operator grounds copters

Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

A Grand Canyon tour operator in Las Vegas voluntarily grounded some helicopters for unscheduled maintenance, but said they should be airborne within a few weeks.

Sundance Helicopters at 275 E. Tropicana Ave. took the action Saturday on four Bell helicopters, according to a Federal Aviation Administration official.

Howard Vaughn, FAA office manager for Southern Nevada and the Grand Canyon, said Thursday that Sundance has a good safety record and has been cooperating with his agency. But he declined to comment on the reason for the unscheduled maintenance.

"Across the nation, it happens all the time," Vaughn said. "Now do we like it? No. But they're showing cooperation. They've contacted their Bell helicopter representative. I'm sure they'll do a complete inspection on all four helicopters."

A Las Vegas mechanic alleged, however, that he was fired from the company on March 10, a day after he said he discovered a worn part on a helicopter during a scheduled inspection.

The FAA-certified mechanic, who requested anonymity, told the SUN he discovered a worn spar that was part of the helicopter's horizontal stabilizer. He said the part helps hold down the tail during flight, but could cause a crash if not repaired.

The man said he also notified his superiors of cracks in the aircraft's landing gear, and expressed his opinion that it shouldn't be flown. But he said he was fired a day later without explanation.

Rick Eisenreich, Sundance chief executive officer, declined comment on the termination, other than to say the man had "personal problems."

Eisenreich said that three helicopters remained grounded as of Thursday. But he described that action as routine, particularly as the company heads into its busy summer season.

"It's really nothing unusual," Eisenreich said. "Routinely, we have scheduled and unscheduled maintenance."

He described the grounded helicopters as Bell Jet Rangers and Bell 206 Long Rangers. A Jet Ranger, leased from Sundance, crashed atop snowy Mount Potosi last month. The pilot and the other two passengers were injured.

Vaughn said while that accident remains under investigation, the FAA is leaning toward bad weather as the cause. Eisenreich also said there was no link between the crash and the grounding of the helicopters.

Vaughn said the helicopters will be able to fly again once they are cleared for use by an FAA-certified mechanic employed by Sundance.