WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday issued an emergency directive requiring main rotor inspections for some Bell model 212, 204 and 205 helicopters after a fatal crash in Canada last month.

       The FAA said operators must complete inspections and replace some specified hub strap pins before further flights. On Monday, Transport Canada Civil Aviation issued an emergency directive covering the same issue. The directives impacts about 400 helicopters worldwide, with approximately 140 registered in the United States. Bell Helicopter, a unit of Textron Inc, did not immediately comment.

       (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler)