- Date
- February 4, 1992, 09:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Richvale, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured; on the ground: 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N1033Sikorsky S55B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 11, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920204001839A
- Case key
- 27550
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
The failure of the lateral control arm in the cyclic control system.
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
As the helicopter was being refueled in preparation for an aerial application flight, the pilot was in the helicopter and the main rotor blades were rotating at 'flight RPM.' According to the pilot, the helicopter suddenly 'jumped about two feet in the air and at the same time rolled to the right and moved forward.' The main rotor blades struck the fuel truck and the helicopter rolled over. An examination of the helicopter's structure revealed that the lateral control arm component in the cyclic control system had fractured at a taper pin hole. Thereafter, the disconnected cyclic control system permitted the main rotor blades to tilt down, and the roll over was unavoidable. No pre-existing defect was reported observed in the lateral control arm when the helicopter was previously inspected, about 14 operational hours prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1033
- Reported as
- Sikorsky S55B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1328
- Airframe hours
- 5,616
- Engine
- Curtis Wright R-1300, 800 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Avag Corporation
- Registered owner
- Avag Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 10, 1991 · 89 hours before
- Airport
- O97 · Richvale
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
- 63
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 22,020 total · 6,200 in this make and model · 20,500 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.