The AFU and Urban Legend Archive Disney helicopter crashes Select a topic - - - - - - - - Home Searches AFU FAQ - - - - - - - - AFU Animals Books Celebrities Classic Collegiate Death Disney Drugs Food GIF Language Legal Medical Misc Movies Politics Products Religion Science Sex Songs TV - - - - - - - - Other sites

From: doering@xrayspex.nlm.nih.gov (Larry Doering)
Newsgroups: alt.disney.secrets,alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.disney.parks
Subject: Re: Death at disneyland
Date: 3 Apr 1996 15:39:59 GMT

In article <reoDp82oz.1D5@netcom.com>, Ross Oliver <reo@netcom.com> wrote: >Nicodraxus T (fishfact@mi.net) wrote:
>: In 1968 alone, the Disneyland/LAX helicopter service suffered two of
>: the worst civilian chopper crashes in U.S. history. In May, a helicopter
>: carrying 23 people lucky enough to leave the park alive disintegrated in
>: mid-air and crashed near Paramount. There were no survivors. Less than
>: three months later, a Disneyland-bound chopper crashed on a Compton
>: playground, killing all 21 would-be "guests" and crew on board.
>
>I am not aware of any civilian helicopter that is capable of carrying
>20+ passengers. If these incidents actually occurred, the aircraft would
>have to be a military vehicle such as a Chinook or "Green Giant." Also,
>where would such a large aircraft operate at Disneyland?

According to my copy of _Aviation Disasters_*, the type of helicopter involved in both crashes was the Sikorsky S-61, operated by Los Angeles Airways, which had regular passenger service between Los Angeles International Airport and the Disneyland/Anaheim heliport.

The first crash occurred on May 22, 1968, when N303Y was en route from Disneyland to LAX. At about 5:50 PM, Flight 841 was flying at about 2,000 feet near Paramount when a distress message was received from the helicopter: "L.A., we're crashing, help us!" All 20 passengers and the crew of 3 were killed. It was later determined that a mechanical failure in the main rotor hub allowed extreme lead-lag excursions of the rotor blades, one of which became detached from the swashplate and struck the helicopter's fuselage as it was descending through about 600 feet. This caused the other four rotor blades to go out of control, and in short order all five blades broke and the rear fuselage and tail rotor pylon separated from the aircraft.

The second crash, on August 14, 1968, involved N300Y, operating as Flight 417 from LAX to Anaheim. This time, the helicopter was flying at about 1,500 feet around 10:35 AM when one of the main rotor head spindles failed and the attached rotor blade separated completely. The resulting imbalance sent the helicopter out of control and it crashed in Leuders Park, killing all 18 passengers and 3 crew. The spindle failure was caused by metal fatigue.

Larry "survived one visit to Disneyland, never going back" Doering

• David Gero, _Aviation Disasters_, Patrick Stephens Limited (Sparkford, Somerset, England), 1993, ISBN 1-85260-379-8.

An indispensable reference for anyone with a morbid interest in airplane crashes, this book covers more than 230 civil airliner accidents from 1950 through 1992 with photos, maps, and summaries of official accident investigations. It's a splendid example of monomaniacal British attention to detail, and a worthy addition to any home library.