Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-15130
The Army purchased this helicopter 0567
Total flight hours at this point: 00001021
Date: 03/21/1969
Incident number: 690321321ACD Accident case number: 690321321 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 61 AHC
The station for this helicopter was English in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 510415
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 CPT BENICEWICZ RICHARD C KIA
P 1LT DALTON ROBERT ALAN KIA
CE SP5 SANTOS RENE ANTHONY KIA
G SP4 STOCK DALE LOUIS KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
UNK UNK, MS, G
Accident Summary:
HELICOPTER ^UH-1C, 66-15130^ WAS SCHEDULED AS AN ALERT AIRCRAFT FOR THE NIGHT OF ^21 MARCH 1969^. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN LOCATED AT THE ^CRAPTABLE (HELIPAD)^ AND READIED FOR THE MISSION. AT APPROXIMATELY ^1900^ HOURS A SCRAMBLE WAS CALLED. HELICOPTER ^UH-1C 66-15130^ WAS THE SECOND OF TWO AIRCRAFT THAT MADE UP A LIGHT FIRE TEAM. THE MISSION WAS TO SUPPORT ELEMENTS OF THE ^173RD AIRBORNE BRIGADE^ THAT HAD COME IN CONTACT. AFTER STARTING THE AIRCRAFT AND PREPARING THE AIRCRAFT FOR TAKE-OFF, THE LEAD SHIP CALLED ^#66-15130^ AND ASKED IF THEY WERE UP. THE CREW REPLIED BY RADIO TRANSMISSION THAT THERE WOULD BE A DELAY AS THE TRANSMISSION OIL PRESSURE WAS READING ZERO AND THEY COULD NOT GET THE LIGHT OFF, AND THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE TO GET IT CHECKED. NO MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE CALLED TO THE AIRCRAFT OR NOTIFIED OF THE CONDITIONS. APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES LATER ^66-15130^ HOVERED INTO TAKE-OFF POSITION. AFTER CALLING THE TOWER FOR INSTRUCTIONS, THE LEAD SHIP DEPARTED. THE SECOND AIRCRAFT, ^66-15130^, DEPARTED BEHIND THE LEAD SHIP. AFTER TAKE-OFF, ^66-15130^ FLEW FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS BEFORE CRASHING. WITNESSES STATED THAT THEY HEARD WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN ENGINE OVER-REV, THEN A WHOOSHING SOUND AS THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND MAST SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. SOME WITNESSES STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT BLEW UP IN FLIGHT. IT IS BELIEVED BY THIS BOARD THAT THEY SAW TE EXHAUST OF THE AIRCRAFT AS IT WAS FLYING SOUTH GOING AWAY FROM THE WITNESSES. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED APPROXIMATELY ONE QUARTER MILE FROM THE HELIPAD. THE APPEARANCE OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT SKIDS SCRAPED A DIKE AND THAT IT WAS IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE, LEANING ON ITS RIGHT SIDE WHEN IT HIT. IT ALSO APPEARED TO HAVE BURST INTO FLAMES UPON IMPACT. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND A PORTION OF THE MAST WERE FOUND APPROXIMATELY 300 METERS EAST OF THE AIRCRAFT.\\
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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