Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 66-16081
The Army purchased this helicopter 0267
Total flight hours at this point: 00001708
Date: 03/23/1969
Incident number: 690323191ACD Accident case number: 690323191 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 117 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Plantation in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YT275351 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYT275351)
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 4 . . Passengers = 3
costing 286745
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 W1 MB DOUGLAS
P O2 GC EDWARDS
CE SP5 BARNES TOMMY LEE KIA
G E4 JD WICKS
Passengers and/or other participants:
UNK UNK, LCO, G
O3 H SIEBIG, PAX, D
E7 JA YERSAK, PAX, D
Accident Summary:
THE CREW OF AIRCRAFT HAD FLOWN FOUR HOURS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. AT 1330 HOURS THEY COMMENCED THE MISSION OF RESUPPLYING AND INSERTING PASSENGERS AND SUPPLIES FROM FIRE SUPPORT BASE KATE. SUBJECT AIRCRAFT WAS THE FIRST OF THREE AIRCRAFT TO TAKE OFF FROM FSB KATE. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT THE AIRCRAFT HAD 800 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD, A CREW OF FOUR, TWO PASSENGERS AND APPROXIMATELY TWENTY WATER BAGS, IN PLASTIC CONTAINERS WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY FORTY LBS PER BAG. THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT THE LANDING ZONE, 6 KM NORTHWEST FSB KATE AND CIRCLED SEVERAL TIMES PRIOR TO HIS APPROACH. THE OVAL SHAPED AREA WAS SURROUNDED BY TREES FROM 35 TO 100 FEET HIGH AND THICK UNDERBRUSH AT THE BOTTOM. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER ELECTED TO MAKE A STEEP APPROACH ON AN APPROXIMATE HEADING OF NORTH. THE AIRCRAFT TERMINATED AT A HOVER SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND THIRTY FEET AS TESTIFIED BY ^LT EDWARDS^ AND ^CPT SIEBIG.^ ^LT EDWARDS,^ PILOT, STATED THEY WERE RECEIVING BLADE STRIKES AS THE AIRCRAFT STARTED ITS DESCENT INTO THE LZ, AND CAME TO A HOVER THE FIRST TIME AT 25-30 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT LATER SETTLED TO APPROXIMATELY A FIVE FOOT HOVER AND THE CREW AND PASSENGERS WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER TO THROW OUT THE WATER BAGS. DURING THE CLIMB OUT ON A HEADING OF NORTH, THE AIRCRAFT STARTED VIBRATING AND AT ABOUT 60 TO 75 FEET THE AIRCRAFT MADE A LEFT TURN, STRUCK A TREE LIMB WITH THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE. AFTER STRIKING THE TREE THE AIRCRAFT IMMEDIATELY CRASHED TO THE GROUND WITH THE LEFT FRONT SIDE BEING THE FIRST POINT OF IMPACT, APPROXIMATELY 30 METERS WEST OF THE LANDING ZONE. THE #2 AIRCRAFT COMMANDER MADE A DESCENT INTO THE LZ AND EXTRACTED THE WOUNDED.\\
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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