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LAX88FA330

1988-09-29 · SANTA BARBARA, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SBA

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

FAILURE OF THE #1 TURBINE WHEEL. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE UNREPORTED OVER TEMPERATURE CYCLES OF THE ENGINE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE UNSUITABILITY OF THE LANDING SURFACE FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE 1/4 INCH STEEL SHEETING.

Factual narrative

THE PLT REPORTED THE ENGINE FAILED AT 25-30 FEET AGL DURING FINAL APCH. THE PLT INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION TO THE ASPHALT SURFACE OF THE HELICOPTER PARKING RAMP. STEEL PLATES WERE PLACED ON THE PARKING SPOTS TO PREVENT RAMP EROSION. THE LEFT FRONT SKID TUBE COLLIDED WITH ONE OF THE STEEL PLATES, FRACTURING THE FRONT CROSS TUBE. THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER PITCHED DOWN AND THE MAIN ROTOR DISC FLEXED, SEVERING THE TAIL BOOM AFT OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. EXAM OF THE ENGINE REVEALED THE NO. 1 TURBINE WHEEL FAILED AS A RESULT OF PREVIOUS CYCLES OF HIGH TEMP (2300 DEG F). Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_LAX88FA330.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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