DURANGO, Colo. (AP) -- Federal investigators looking into a medical helicopter crash that claimed three lives have found problems with its fuel control unit, the Durango Herald reported Saturday.

The Agusta A119, operated by TriState Care Flight, suddenly plunged from about 220 feet above tree level near Mancos on June 30, 2005, killing pilot Jim Saler, 40, and flight nurses William Podmayer, 49 and Scott Hyslop, 33. They were on a rescue flight to pick up an injured logger.

According to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board, the helicopter's fuel control unit, which feeds fuel to the engine, had a gap on its mating flanges and a retention bolt that was "disengaged."

No other problems with the helicopter were found. The report doesn't assign blame for the crash but an NTSB panel is expected to make a "probable cause" determination in the coming months.

An examination by the helicopter's manufacturer, Prat & Whitney, found that the retention bolt was too short for that location and that there was shearing in the bolt-hole area that is consistent with pulling and rubbing, according to the report, released in late November.

But Honeywell, which made the fuel control unit and also examined it, concluded the damage was caused by the crash.

A spokeswoman for Pratt & Whitney Canada didn't return a telephone call seeking comment. Honeywell spokesman Bill Reavis said he wasn't prepared to comment on the report.

Elizabeth Ceilley-Hyslop, the widow of Scott Hyslop, believes the crash was caused by a mechanical failure.

"I think somebody needs to be accountable for what happened," she said.

TriState Care Flight, based in Bullhead City, Ariz., still uses the Agusta A119, which chief operating officer Corrin Koehler said is "absolutely" safe. One of the choppers serves Durango's Mercy Regional Medical Center.

Dustin Duncan, a regional director of the Association of Air Medical Services, said he wasn't aware of any other ambulance company using the model in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming or Montana.

Tri-State CareFlight operates helicopters in California City, Calif., and the Arizona communities of Santa Fe, Bullhead City and Parker.