Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 66-17823
The Army purchased this helicopter 0468
Total flight hours at this point: 00000405
Date: 02/21/1969
Incident number: 690221061ACD Accident case number: 690221061 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: C/3/17 CAV
The station for this helicopter was Di An in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 0
costing 189769
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 O2 SG REED
OB SFC CARTER HAROLD E KIA
CE PFC BOWEN GROVER CLEVELAND KIA
Accident Summary:
THE AIRCRAFT WAS PART OF A HUNTER-KILLER TEAM CONSISTING OF AN ^AH-1G AND AN OH-6A^. THE PILOT OF THE ^OH-6A^ WENT TO THE FLIGHT LINE AT 0600 HOURS TO PERFORM THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. DURING THE PREFLIGHT, THE PILOT NOTED THAT THE FUEL QUANTITY GAGE INDICATED 250 POUNDS OF FUEL, INSTEAD OF 300 POUNDS WHICH ^C TROOP^ NORMALLY CARRIES ON A ^OH-6A^. THE PILOT ASKED ^PSG CARTER^ ABOUT THIS AND THE ANSWER WAS THAT THIS PARTICULAR AIRCRAFT HAD 300 POUNDS OF FUEL WHEN THE FUEL GAGE READ 250. ALSO, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAD A STATEMENT TO THIS EFFECT WRITTEN ABOVE THE FUEL GAGE. DURING HIS PREFLIGHT THE PILOT DID NOT VISUALLY CHECK THE FUEL LEVEL IN THE FUEL CELL EVEN THOUGH IT IS A REQUIRED PART OF THE PREFLIGHT INSPECTION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RUN UP AT ^0630^ HOURS AND THE TEAM TOOK OFF FROM ^SABRE AIRFIELD^ AT ^0645^ HOURS. THE TEAM PROCEEDED TO THE AO AND AFTER CONDUCTING 50 MINUTES OF VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE, ^LT REED^ TOLD THE COBRA PILOT THAT HE HAD 80 POUNDS OF FUEL REMAINING. THE COBRA PILOT TOLD ^LT REED^ TO GAIN ALTITUDE AND ALSO GAVE HIM A HEADING BACK TO ^DIAN^. THE TEAM ENCOUNTERED A FLIGHT OF ^UH-1H'S^ WHILE GAINING ALTITUDE AT WHICH TIME THE COBRA CREW LOST VISUAL CONTRACT WITH THE ^LOH^ FOR 5 MINUTES. AFTER VISUAL CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED, THE COBRA WAS DISORIENTED AS TO THE TEAMS LOCATION. THE COBRA PILOT TOLD ^LT REED^ TO LAND NEXT TO U.S. TROOPS THAT WERE DIRECTLY BELOW IN ORDER TO LOCATE THE TEAMS POSITION. ^LT REED^ LANDED AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 OR 3 MINUTES WHEN HE OBSERVED 40 POUNDS OF FUEL INDICATED. HE RADIOED BACK THE COORDINATES TO THE COBRA ^LT REED^ THEN TOOK OFF TO THE WEST AND THE COBRA PILOT TOLD HIM TO TURN NORTH WHEN HE GOT TO A ROAD AT HIS 12 O'CLOCK. ^LT REED^ ACKNOWLEDGED AND SAID THAT HE HAD 40 POUNDS OF FUEL REMAINING. THIS WAS ^LT REED'S^ LAST RADIO TRANSMISSION. ^LT REED^ FLEW LOW LEVEL AT A 90 KNOT AIRSPEED AND EXECUTED A CYCLIC CLIMB TO CLEAR A ROW OF TREES. AFTER CLEARING THE TREES, ^LT REED^ LOWERED THE NOSE WITH APPROXIMATELY 90 FEET OF ALTITUDE AND A 60 KNOT AIRSPEED. AT THIS TIME, AN ENGINE FAILURE OCCURRED AND ^LT REED^ EXECUTED AN AUTOROTATION. AT 40 FEET A FLARE WAS ATTEMPTED. THE FLARE DID NOT GREATLY REDUCE THE AIRSPEED. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND ON ITS LEFT SIDE IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE, WITH THE AIRSPEED ESTIMATED TO BE BETWEEN 30 AND 50 KNOTS. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST 50 METERS FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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