Los Angeles Airways Flight 417
N300Y departing the Disneyland Heliport five years prior to the accident flight | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | August 14, 1968 |
| Summary | Mechanical failure |
| Site | Compton, California, United States 33°54′N 118°12′W / 33.900°N 118.200°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Sikorsky 61L |
| Operator | Los Angeles Airways |
| Registration | N300Y |
| Flight origin | Los Angeles International Airport |
| Destination | Disneyland Heliport |
| Passengers | 18 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Los Angeles Airways Flight 417 was a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter that crashed on August 14, 1968 in the city of Compton, California. All eighteen passengers and three crew members were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. According to the National Transportation Safety Board the probable cause of the accident was fatigue failure. The accident happened when the (arbitrarily designated) yellow blade, one of five main rotor blades, separated from the spindle that attached the blade to the rotor head. Following failure, the helicopter was uncontrollable and it fell to the ground. The fatigue crack originated in an area of substandard hardness and inadequate shot peening.