Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16015
The Army purchased this helicopter 0568
Total flight hours at this point: 00000131
Date: 09/19/1968
Incident number: 680919151ACD Accident case number: 680919151 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 201 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Nha Trang in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
costing 284062
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P MAJ BONNARENS FRANK OWEN KIA
CE SP5 GREENE LLOYD EARLE JR KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
MAJ BISHOP JOSEPH ADRIAN, NOT, A
MAJ HARTMAN BENJAMIN C JR, PP, A
Accident Summary:
The aircraft was on a staff reconnaissance type mission to coordinate aviation activities at Khanh Duong, Boun Ea Yang and the U.S. installations at Ban Me Thout east and Ban Me Thout City Airfields, Republic of Vietnam. The aircraft departed Ban Me Thout City Airfield and headed generally in an easterly direction enroute to Nha Trang, 70 miles to the east. Its flight path paralleled highway 21, staying on the north side of the road and heading east. UH-1H 66-16323 departed Ban Me Thout City Airfield to Dong Ba Thin, 82 miles to the southeast. This aircraft also paralleled highway 21, but remained on the south side. This highway runs generally east to west. LT Williams reported sighting the subject OH-6A aircraft at 1700 hours, approximately 18 miles east of Ban Me Thout at a position north of highway 21 and flying in a southeasterly direction at approximately the same altitude. The OH-6A was closing on LT Williams' aircraft and crossed highway 21 from left to right passing two miles to his front. After a suitable separation was obtained between the two aircraft, the OH-6A was no longer observed by LT Williams. The OH-6A aircraft was again observed by LT Williams approximately three minutes later; it had reversed its original course and was now approaching LT Williams' aircraft, head-on at a lower altitude and descending at an approximate angle of 30 degrees. The OH-6A aircraft was observed by SP Bowen, crew chief of LT Williams' aircraft, to continue its descent all the way to the ground, where an explosion occurred shortly after impact.
This record was last updated on 09/20/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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