- Date
- November 7, 1983, 17:00 local (Nov 8, 1983, 01:00 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 2 serious, 4 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N5830TWestland Helicopters 30-100
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19831107075939A
- Case key
- 23889
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
At 4,000 ft MSL directional control was lost. Witnesses observed the helicopter descending through the localized cloud layer in a left high-rotation turn, with the pitch attitude varying & its rate of descent 'very fast.' The helicopter then collided with high tension wires. The t/r servo was found attached to the vert stabilizer mount with the upper portion of the N-DEG-2 lever attached to it. The pitch change lever from the servo to the 90-DEG gearbox had fractured do to high cycle fatigue. The t/r blades contained counterweights which are designed, together with aerodynamic airloads, to assist in returning the blades to a near 'neutral' pitch in the event of a t/r drive and/or pitch control lever failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5830T
- Reported as
- Westland Helicopters 30-100
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 005
- Airframe hours
- 558
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce GEM MK 510, 1,100 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Airspur Helicopters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 5, 1983 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Destination
- SNA · Orange County, CA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SLI · Los Alamitos Aaf
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,353 total · 222 in this make and model · 1,833 as pilot in command · 193 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 270° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGB, 4 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.