Sikorsky S-70A accident near Calabasas, California, May 4, 2005
On May 4, 2005 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-70A (helicopter), registered N160LA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Calabasas, California. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue of the forward keeper due to known flaws in the manufacturing process.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 4, 2005 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Calabasas, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-70A · all S-70As on the register
- Registration
- N160LA · registry record · serial 702453
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The left auxiliary power unit (APU) door departed the helicopter in flight and contacted the main rotor blades. The pilot made precautionary landing. The APU door is located on the top of the helicopter, near the main rotor blades, and it is secured using two upper and lower, push-pin type snap latches. Following the accident, the latches were located separately in a field; each latch remained secured to portions of the door material. The APU door is opened and secured by maintenance daily and its security was verified by the pilot during the preflight. Post accident examination of the two fractured sections of left APU door with latches and the two hinge keepers showed that the hinge keepers failed as a result of fatigue fractures and allowed the door to separate in flight. Review of the manufacturer's process specifications disclosed that the failed hinge keepers were manufactured by a now superceded production process. This superceded production process introduced contamination, which resulted in fatigue of the hinge keepers. A new hinge was designed and implemented over 2 years prior to the accident; however, there was no recall by the helicopter manufacturer to replace the older design. In the United States, two civilian operators use this helicopter (five helicopters total) and the primary operator is the United States military. The United States military has classified this as a low-risk issue. Due to the damage sustained to the parts, the manufacturer was unable to confirm that the problem would have been detectable by flight crew or maintenance personnel prior to the accident flight using the current inspection methods.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 9,200 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,298.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 2005; 3.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 23,500 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: General Electric T700-701C (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Pacoima CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: Malibu CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; a few clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 6:51 pm from VNY, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
Other NTSB records under N160LA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX05TA156.