Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A tail number 66-19047
The Army purchased this helicopter 0167
Total flight hours at this point: 00000842
Date: 11/04/1968
Incident number: 681104261ACD Accident case number: 681104261 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/228 AVN
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was Phouc Vinh in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 6 . . Passengers = 7
costing 1115237
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:
AC O2 MB CLARK
P W2 WH ZIMMERS
CE E5 DL TITUS
FE SP5 SWAIN
G SP5 SIMPSON OTIS RAYMOND KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
E6 FA WEST, PAX, D
TALBOT, PAX, G
E4 F DANIELS, PAX, D
E4 CA REUTNER, PAX, D
BRANHAM, PAX, G
SILKWOOD, PAX, G
Accident Summary:
THIS AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ^BEAR CAT AIRFIELD, RVN, AT 1405 HOURS^. ON BOARD WERE TWELVE PERSONS AND A LARGE QUANTITY OF MISCELLANEOUS CARGO. SHORTLY AFTER LEVEL OFF AT AN ALTITUDE OF 2500 FEET, THE FIRE WARNING LIGHT ON NUMBER TWO ENGINE CAME ON. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND TURNED TOWARD ^BIEN HOA AIR BASE^, WHILE OTHER CREW MEMBERS AND HIS WING SHIP WERE SCANNING THE ENGINE FOR VISUAL CONFIRMATION OF THE FIRE. SEVERAL CREWMEN REPORTED SMELLING SMOKE AND SEEING WHAT WERE DESCRIBED AS FUMES, BUT NONE RECALLS ACTUALLY SEEING FIRE. AT THAT TIME THE PILOT PULLED THE FIRE HANDLE AND FIRED BOTH EXTINGUISHER BOTTLES INTO NUMBER TWO ENGINE. AT THE SAME TIME HE ENTERED AUTOROTATION TO MINIMUZE HIS DESCENT TIME. AT APPROXIMATELY 250 FEET HE BEGAN TO APPLY THRUST TO SLOW THE DESCENT. AT THAT TIME THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE BEGAN TO FAIL. EMERGENCY BEEP FAILED TO CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RESPOND. THE ARICRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND WITH SLIGHT FORWARD SPEED IN A RAPID DESCENT, WITH LOW ROTOR RPM. THE REAR ROTOR BLADES FLEXED DOWN AND CHOPPED INTO THE TOP OF THE FUSELAGE. INSTANTLY AFTER IMPACT THE REAR OF THE ARICRAFT WAS ENGULFED IN FLAMES. 2 PASSENGERS WERE ABLE TO EXIT THRU THE FIRE WITH ONLY MINOR BURNS. NINE PERSONS ESCAPED THRU THE FRONT EXITS. ONE PASSENGER WAS TRAPPED IN THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT AND DIED IN THE FIRE. BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE HEAT, RESCUE PERSONNEL WERE UNABLE TO RECOVER THE BODY UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. ONE PASSENGER REPORTS HEARING SOMETHING STRIKING THE AIRCRAFT IN THE VICINITY OF THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE. THIS AND THE REPORTS OF GROUND TO AIR FIRE IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH, INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY OF BULLET DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE.\\
War Story:
Otis Simpson was a TI for the maintenance division and was not a regular flight crew member nor was he acting as FE on that flight. They also were not departing Bear Cat but Bien Hoa Air base for Bear Cat. They originally had departed LZ Sharon on our div redeployment south to Bear Cat. The misc cargo they were carrying was mostly personal gear for the Co. personnel. One of the items on that AC was the flight platoon's little refrigerator. The passengers were all from the Maintenance platoon.
The FE of the aircraft was Swain. He was, I believe a spec 5. The CE is listed correctly. Simpson was flying as a crew member but he was not the FE of the aircraft.
I arrived at Bear Cat the next day and was told about the accident. A couple of the maintenance guys on the AC told me that Simpson had gotten out of the aircraft and then went back inside for some reason. No one knew why. I had always thought that he went back in to get some personal items. He was very dedicated to his wife so he may have been going back in to get those items. Just my opinion. On the KIA report they list him as perfuming the FE duties. This he probable was doing. as he was at the back of the AC. The true FE was on one of the guns up front.
Some of other FE's that I've talked with vie email have said they heard that he was attached to the monkey harness and that when he tried to exit the AC it pulled him back in because it was still hooked up. I only wore the monkey harness a couple of times and I do not think that it would act as a bunge cord and pull you back in.
Bill Scott
AIRCAVBCO@AOL.COM
B CO 228 TH AVN BN
1ST AIR CAV 67 - 69
Ramps up ready in the rear sir.
This record was last updated on 05/19/1999
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