Explore over 500,000 Images in my personal collection
N303Y, Magapolis IV, Los Angeles Airways Helicopter, S-61L, LAA, July 1966
Add to Lightbox Add to Cart E-Postcard Buy Print
Code Number:
TAHV04P07_01
Title:
N303Y, Magapolis IV, Los Angeles Airways Helicopter, S-61L, LAA, July 1966
CN: 61060

This helicopter crashed on Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 from Disneyland to LAX:
Date: 22/05/1968
Time: 17:51
Fatalities: Fatalities: 23 / Occupants: 23
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Paramount, CA - USA
Phase: En route
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Anaheim/Disneyland Heliport, CA
Destination airport: Los Angeles International Apt, CA (LAX)
Narrative:
This helicopter crashed and burned at Paramount, California.
The accident sequence probably began while the aircraft was in cruising flight about 2,000 feet above the ground and about 2 miles east of the accident site. The black, yellow, and blue main rotor blades, followed by the red and white blades, underwent a series of extreme overtravel excursions in their lead/lag axis.
During the extreme excursions, the yellow main rotor blade overtraveled in the lead direction and, as a result, its pitch change control road was subjected to downward and rearward loading many times its design operating strength. Under these forces, the rod became detached at its lower trunnion end where it is normally secured to the attachment lugs of the main rotor rotating swashplate. With this separation, the blade went out of control and struck the right side of the aircraft diagonally across the baggage loading door. The other four main rotor blades then struck and penetrated both the aft and forward portions of the aircraft. The blade strikes destroyed the main rotor blades and separated major portions of the fuselage, including the tailrotor pylon and tail rotor assemblies. The aircraft, completely uncontrollable, crashed in a near-vertical descent.
The initial malfunction, failure, or condition which precipitated the accident sequence was probably a loss of main rotor blade damper integrity caused by either failure of the black main rotor blade damper or a loss of effective damper action by the white main rotor blade damper. An important portion of the black damper and a portion of the black blade horizontal hinge pin to which the damper attaches were not recovered.
The Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the loss of main rotor blade damper integrity due to either a failure of the black blade damper or a loss of effective damping action by the white blade damper. This resulted in uncontrolled excursions of the main rotor blades in their leadllag axis, an overload detachment of the yellow main rotor blade pitch change control rod and destruction of the structural integrity of the aircraft by blade strikes. The precise reason for either of the possibilities for the loss of damper integrity is undetermined.

Sources:
NTSB
Helicopter named "Megapolis IV"
Keywords:
Sikorsky S-61, Turbo Shaft, Twin Engine, Single Main Rotor, Helicopter, VTOL, Helo, Rotary Wing, Whirlybird, Aviation, aircraft, Transportation, Transport, Rotorcraft, Rotarywing, H-3, Turbo-shaft, Los Angeles International Airport, LAX, California, Infrastructure, LAA, Los Angeles Airways, Airline, California, LA-Airways, Civilian Helicopter, VTOL
Caption Disclaimer
N303Y, Magapolis IV, Los Angeles Airways Helicopter, S-61L, LAA, July 1966
BUY IMAGE(S) NOW
Add to Lightbox Add to Cart E-Postcard Buy Print
Code Number:
TAHV04P07_01
Title:
N303Y, Magapolis IV, Los Angeles Airways Helicopter, S-61L, LAA, July 1966
CN: 61060

This helicopter crashed on Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 from Disneyland to LAX:
Date: 22/05/1968
Time: 17:51
Fatalities: Fatalities: 23 / Occupants: 23
Airplane damage: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location: Paramount, CA - USA
Phase: En route
Nature: Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport: Anaheim/Disneyland Heliport, CA
Destination airport: Los Angeles International Apt, CA (LAX)
Narrative:
This helicopter crashed and burned at Paramount, California.
The accident sequence probably began while the aircraft was in cruising flight about 2,000 feet above the ground and about 2 miles east of the accident site. The black, yellow, and blue main rotor blades, followed by the red and white blades, underwent a series of extreme overtravel excursions in their lead/lag axis.
During the extreme excursions, the yellow main rotor blade overtraveled in the lead direction and, as a result, its pitch change control road was subjected to downward and rearward loading many times its design operating strength. Under these forces, the rod became detached at its lower trunnion end where it is normally secured to the attachment lugs of the main rotor rotating swashplate. With this separation, the blade went out of control and struck the right side of the aircraft diagonally across the baggage loading door. The other four main rotor blades then struck and penetrated both the aft and forward portions of the aircraft. The blade strikes destroyed the main rotor blades and separated major portions of the fuselage, including the tailrotor pylon and tail rotor assemblies. The aircraft, completely uncontrollable, crashed in a near-vertical descent.
The initial malfunction, failure, or condition which precipitated the accident sequence was probably a loss of main rotor blade damper integrity caused by either failure of the black main rotor blade damper or a loss of effective damper action by the white main rotor blade damper. An important portion of the black damper and a portion of the black blade horizontal hinge pin to which the damper attaches were not recovered.
The Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the loss of main rotor blade damper integrity due to either a failure of the black blade damper or a loss of effective damping action by the white blade damper. This resulted in uncontrolled excursions of the main rotor blades in their leadllag axis, an overload detachment of the yellow main rotor blade pitch change control rod and destruction of the structural integrity of the aircraft by blade strikes. The precise reason for either of the possibilities for the loss of damper integrity is undetermined.

Sources:
NTSB
Helicopter named "Megapolis IV"
Keywords:
Sikorsky S-61, Turbo Shaft, Twin Engine, Single Main Rotor, Helicopter, VTOL, Helo, Rotary Wing, Whirlybird, Aviation, aircraft, Transportation, Transport, Rotorcraft, Rotarywing, H-3, Turbo-shaft, Los Angeles International Airport, LAX, California, Infrastructure, LAA, Los Angeles Airways, Airline, California, LA-Airways, Civilian Helicopter, VTOL
Caption Disclaimer

Royalty Free: Calculate Price

418 x 382 pixels This image size immediately available after purchase 3 PhotoPoints $9.00
1200 x 1097 pixels This image size immediately available after purchase 6 PhotoPoints $18.00
2350 x 2148 pixels This image size immediately available after purchase 47 PhotoPoints $141.00
5400 x 4935 pixels This image size available in 130 hours after purchase 117 PhotoPoints $351.00
Ultra Hi for larger output size, please call customer service 415-720-9928
N699RH, Kaman K-Max, Medium lift helicopter, Helicopter Base for the Sonoma County Fires of October 2017N699RH, Kaman K-Max, Medium lift helicopter, Helicopter Base for the Sonoma County Fires of October 2017N699RH, Kaman K-Max, Medium lift helicopter, Helicopter Base for the Sonoma County Fires of October 2017N674TH, Kaman K-1200 K-MAX, Sonoma County Fires of October 2017Helicopter Base for the Sonoma County Fires of October 2017N303Y, Magapolis IV, Los Angeles Airways Helicopter, S-61L, LAA, July 1966N114WG, Pan Am Helicopter, Westland 30 Lynx, Boarding Passengers, December 1986N9043N, Sikorsky S-58B, Heli-FliteN80P, Hughes 269A, Los Angeles County helicopter, Camp Radford, 1950sN80P, Hughes 269A, Los Angeles County helicopter, Camp Radford, 1950sInstrument Panel, N80P, Hughes 269A, Los Angeles County helicopter, N80P, Camp Radford, 1950sN619PA, New York Airways, Sikorsky S-61L-II, NYA, New York City, 1960sN6673D, Boeing Vertol 107, New York Airways, New York City, 1960sNew York Airways, N10103, Piasecki/Vertol 44B, helicopter, New York City docks, waterfront, June 1959, 1950sN885, Keystone Helicopter, 1950s, Sikorsky S-58BN885, Keystone Helicopter, 1950s, Sikorsky S-58B
Go to lightbox