Sikorsky S-55T N747A
30 August 2002 · Lytle Creek, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 30 August 2002 at about 17:06 local time, a Sikorsky S-55T registered N747A was involved in an accident near Lytle Creek, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 17:06
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lytle Creek, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.2350, -117.4969
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-55T
- Registration
- N747A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load
- Purpose of flight
- Public Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lytle Creek → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02TA267
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
Failure of the hydraulic system due to contamination in the hydraulic fluid, which resulted in an in-flight loss of control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter collided with terrain while attempting a precautionary landing due to a hydraulics system failure. The helicopter was engaged in firefighting water drops. While returning to pickup additional fuel, and make bucket repairs, the red hydraulic failure light illuminated and the flight controls became stiff. About 10 feet above the ground, the cyclic flight control moved "hard over," which resulted in the nose moving up and to the right until the main rotor blades contacted the ground. The helicopter came to rest on its right side. Post crash examination by a laboratory revealed contamination of the hydraulic fluid by water and microbial growth.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Sikorsky S-55T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 1975 | Sikorsky S-55T | Quincy, California, United States | Globe Air, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |