- Date
- April 14, 1989, 18:33 local (Apr 15, 1989, 01:33 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Ana, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N1168USikorsky S-58ET
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 22, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890414007979A
- Case key
- 26222
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Failure of the landing gear resulting from excessive loading during ground operations, and fatigue cracking.
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
After the cargo was loaded, and as the pilot ground taxied over a concrete drainage depression in the ramp, the left main landing gear separated from the gear tube and the helicopter rolled over. Metallurgical examination of the failed landing gear strut revealed pre-existing fatigue cracks in the inside the gear leg extending from multiple origins. In addition, there was corrosion pitting and remnant tooling marks on the surface finish of the lower gear tube inside diameter. The pitted and corroded condition of the tube inside diameter indicated that environmental intrusion of the corrosion preventative material may have occurred during service. The aircraft was 951 pounds over certificated maximum gross weight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1168U
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S-58ET
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 58-1070
- Airframe hours
- 15,715
- Engine
- P&W PT6T-6, 825 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Registered owner
- Aris Helicopters, Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 14, 1989
- Departed
- SNA
- Destination
- LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- SNA · John Wayne
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
- Certificates
- Commercial, Military
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,653 total · 128 in this make and model · 3,473 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N1168U · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.