Sikorsky S-55B accident near Yorktown, New York, October 12, 2012
On October 12, 2012 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-55B (helicopter), registered N443FD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Yorktown, New York. It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper decision to perform a downwind precautionary landing and the helicopter’s resultant settling with power and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2012 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2012
- Place
- Yorktown, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-55B · all S-55Bs on the register
- Registration
- N443FD · registry record · serial 55-1046
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight, the pilot heard an unusual noise and, after circling while attempting to determine the source of the noise, he elected to perform a precautionary landing to a nearby farm field. During the approach to land with a quartering tailwind, the pilot used the collective to arrest the descent rate; however, after having used the full travel of the collective with no appreciable reduction in the descent rate, the helicopter landed in the soft ground, all four landing gear sank, and the helicopter rolled over and came to rest on its left side. No preimpact mechanical malfunctions or anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation. A nearby weather recording station recorded the wind about the time of the accident as being from the north-northwest at 12 knots, gusting to 16 knots. According to the pilot, the helicopter was moving forward at a speed of about 10 knots at touchdown. Considering the tailwind and the helicopter's low airspeed, it is likely that the airspeed slowed to the point where the helicopter lost translational lift and began to settle with power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Settling with power/vortex ring state during approach defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Roll over during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › Soft › Contributed to outcome
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,800 hours in all; 800 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 23, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,594 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 14, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wright R1300-3D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3N5 Newton NJ at 8:30 pm
- Destination: JSD Stratford CT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 350° at 12 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 9:56 pm from HPN, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on July 11, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Record - White Plains Weather | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | EDM - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Attachment 1 to EDM - Specialist's Factual Report | spreadsheet | Download |
| 5 | Photo 1: Helicopter at Rest - Bottom View. (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 2: Helicopter at Rest - Top View (Courtesy of the FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N443FD on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Sikorsky S-55 15 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Sikorsky 825 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Wright R1300-3D 1 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sikorsky Heliport · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA13LA018.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.