Reconstruction of helicopter starts

Friday, Sept. 26, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.

The investigation into why a Sundance tour helicopter crashed in the Grand Canyon on Saturday, killing seven, could take at least two weeks as wreckage is reconstructed, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator said Thursday.

The last of the helicopter's wreckage was taken to Phoenix on a flatbed truck late Thursday, NTSB investigator Wayne Pollack said.

Pollack was returning to Los Angeles today after reviewing the helicopter's flight and mechanical records and interviewing mechanics and others regarding the crash in Descend Canyon, roughly 60 miles southeast of Las Vegas. The helicopter burst into flames after hitting the steep canyon wall.

There was no evidence of any problems with the main rotor according to maintenance records from the day before the crash and interviews with mechanics, Pollack said.

A structural examination of the physical evidence may shed more light on what caused the accident, he said.

Once the helicopter's parts are examined, the craft's engine will be taken apart at a facility in Phoenix, Pollack said.

The possibile causes of the crash include a mechanical malfunction, a faulty gauge or pilot error, authorities said.

"Pilot performance is a routine portion of the safety board's investigation," Pollack said. "It is an area of interest."

The safety board had already received several calls from passengers who had flown with the pilot in other flights on the day of the crash.

"We are still attempting to contact other passengers, several dozen, who might have flown with the pilot or have videotapes of the tour," Pollack said.

The pilot, Takashi Mezaki, 45, was a native of Japan living in California. He had been with Sundance for three years and had an airline transport license, a higher category of license than was required for the touring company.

Investigators are also interested in how close the helicopter flew near the canyon wall before crashing, Pollack said.

Anyone with information about the helicopter crash is asked to contact Pollack at (310) 380-5654.