Sikorsky S-55 accident near Paramount, California, August 26, 2006
On August 26, 2006 at about 8:25 pm local time, a Sikorsky S-55 (helicopter), registered N111VA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Paramount, California. 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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the unsuitable terrain for the landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 26, 2006 · about 8:25 pm local time · cases in 2006
- Place
- Paramount, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky S-55 · all S-55s on the register
- Registration
- N111VA · registry record · serial 55433
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a precautionary landing due to a partial loss of engine power, the main rotor blades clipped tree branches and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was in cruise flight at 550 to 600 feet above ground level (agl) when the pilot leaned the mixture. The engine began to sputter, and the pilot made a precautionary landing to a field. During the landing, the helicopter rolled underneath trees. The pilot applied power and two of the main rotor blades clipped branches of a tree. A Federal Aviation Administration airworthiness inspector who examined the helicopter and engine did not identify any mechanical anomalies that would have precluded the normal operation of the helicopter.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,780 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 12,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,380 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2004; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,200 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pratt and Whitney R-1340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPM Compton/Woodley CA at 8:06 pm
- Destination: BNG Banning CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.86 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from LGB, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N111VA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N111VA 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: Pratt and Whitney R-1340 1,229 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Compton/Woodley Airport · departed from
- Banning Municipal · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,112 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N111VA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX06LA280.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.