The Virginia State Police helicopter which crashed Saturday outside Charlottesville was badly damaged during a flight in 2010, according to a National Transportation Board report.
The report states that in May 2010, the Bell 407 helicopter sustained “substantial damage” during a hard landing after losing power 7 minutes after takeoff in Abingdon.
The NTSB determined a faulty repair caused the loss of power. No one was injured in that crash.
On Saturday, the two Virginia State Police troopers were patrolling near the site of clashes between white nationalists and counterprotesters at the “Unite the Right” rally. State police identified the victims as pilot Lt. H. Jay Cullen, 48, and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, 40.
The cause of Saturday’s fatal crash has not been determined.
