• Fatal crashes bring scrutiny to unregulated government aircraft
  The National Transportation Safety Board meets today to determine the cause of a 2008 helicopter crash that killed seven firefighters and two others. The Sikorsky S-61N helicopter was leased by the U.S. Forest Service, putting it outside the regulatory control of the FAA. There are 1,632 non-military aircraft operated by 23 federal agencies without FAA oversight, according to the General Services Administration, though a string of at least a half-dozen fatal crashes in the past two years has drawn increasing scrutiny by regulators. SeattlePI.com/The Associated Press (12/7)