Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A tail number 66-19091
The Army purchased this helicopter 0567
Total flight hours at this point: 00001205
Date: 02/24/1969
Incident number: 690224311ACD Accident case number: 690224311 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 179 ASHC
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was Camp Holloway in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: ZA028678 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PZA028678)
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 4 . . Passengers = 0
costing 1075517
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 W2 AS VENTURA
IP W2 JW WILKES
CE SP4 DAVIS ROY HENRY KIA
G E4 SC MARTIN
FE SP5 LEWIS HAROLD S KIA
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT ^66-19091^ HAD FLOWN FIVE HOURS AND TWENTY MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. ALL FLIGHT CONDITIONS UP TO THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT WERE NORMAL. AT THREE HOURS AND TWENTY FIVE MINUTES FLIGHT TIME, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SHUT DOWN AND GIVEN AN INSPECTION BY THE FLIGHT ENGINEER AND CREW CHIEF. THIS INSPECTION WAS SUPERVISED BY THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT. NO DISCREPANCIES WERE FOUND DURING THIS INSPECTION. AT ^1405^ HOURS, ^24 FEBRUARY 1969^, THE CHINOOK AIRCRAFT STARTED AN EASTERLY APPROACH TO THE LANDING ZONE WITH A ^7000 LB.^ EXTERNAL SLING LOAD OF 105 MM HOWITZER AMMUNITION. AS THE CHINOOK CAME TO A NEAR HOVER, THE NOSE TURNED TO THE LEFT AND DROPPED SLIGHTLY. THE LEFT TURNING MOVEMENT CONTINUED INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE NOSE LOW FLAT SPIN. THE CHINOOK MOVED DOWNWIND AND AWAY FROM THE LANDING ZONE PAD ON THE RIDGELINE AND CRASHED APPROXIMATELY 300 LINEAR FEET FROM THE LANDING ZONE PAD AFTER MAKING ONE AND ONE HALF REVOLUTIONS. IMPACT WITH THE GROUND OCCURRED STRAIGHT DOWN. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF SIDEWARD MOVEMENT AT GROUND CONTACT. THE TERRAIN AT THE CRASH SITE DROPS AWAY FROM THE POINT OF IMPACT AT APPROXIMATELY 20 PERCENT. THE AFT PORTION OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND FIRST. THE RATE OF DESCENT AT IMPACT WAS SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE THE AFT TRANSMISSION TO FALL FORWARD FROM ITS MOUNT. THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND SHORTLY AFTER THE AFT PORTION WHICH INDICATES A LEVEL OR NEAR LEVEL NOSE ATTITUDE AT IMPACT. THE MOVEMENT OF THE AFT TRANSMISSION CAUSED MASSIVE COLLAPSE OF THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE AND SEVERED SEVERAL HYDRAULIC, OIL AND FUEL LINES IN THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT. THERE IS NO POSITIVE EVIDENCE THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE FUSELAGE. DURING RESCUE ATTEMPTS, A PART OF THE BODY OF CREWCHIEF WAS OBSERVED IN THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT, HOWEVER IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED IF THE REMAINS HAD BEEN STRUCK BY A ROTOR BLADE. FIRE BROKE OUT IMMEDIATELY ON IMPACT INITIALLY IN THE AFT PYLON AREA AND QUICKLY SPREAD FORWARD TO THE CENTER OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE INITIAL SPREAD OF THE FIRE FORWARD INDICATES RUPTURE OF BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT FUEL CELLS AS THE BOTTOM OF THE AIRCRAFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE SLING LOAD. THE INTENSITY OF THE FUEL FIRE CAUSED THE AMMUNITION CARRIED SLING LOAD TO IGNITE WITHIN MINUTES OF IMPACT. THE ENSUING EXPLOSIONS AND INTENSE FUEL FIRE QUICKLY CONSUMED THE AIRCRAFT AND FATALLY INJURED THE FLIGHT ENGINEER AND THE CREW CHIEF.\\
War Story:
I was the aircraft commander on this flight. Our controls were shot out on an emergency flight to resupply a fire base west of Kontum. Lewis died on impact. The aircraft burned. From John W. Wilkes, July 2006.
This record was last updated on 10/20/2010
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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