Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 66-16008
The Army purchased this helicopter 0267
Total flight hours at this point: 00001330
Date: 04/27/1969
Incident number: 690427161ACD Accident case number: 690427161 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 201 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Nha Trang in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 2 . . Passengers = 0
costing 413945
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 O4 GF KRAUS
OB SP5 CROW JAMES DENNIS KIA
CE SP6 LOWERY LARRY DEAN KIA
G SP5 DENHOFF ALAN BRIAN KIA
OB SP5 MCFARLAND WILLIAM JOSEPH KIA
Accident Summary:
AT APPROXIMATELY 2230 HOURS ON 2( APRIL 1969, ^CW2 BRADLEY JONES^ WAS TEST FLYING A UH-1H. HE HAD AN ENGINE FAILURE AND AUTOROTATED INTO THE NHA TRANG BAY. NHA TRANG TOWER NOTIFIED THE ^201ST AVIATION COMPANY^ OPERATIONS THAT THE FORCED LANDING HAD TAKEN PLACE. ^MAJOR GEORGE F. KRAYS^ WHO WAS WORKING IN OPERATIONS, TOOK HIS FLIGHT GEAR AND WENT TO THE MAINTENANCE AREA. HE ASKED WHICH CHOPPER WAS READY AND WAS INFORMED THAT UH-1H ^66-16008^ WAS READY TO GO. HE GOT INTO ^008^ WITHOUT CONDUCTING A PREFLIGHT OR CHECKING THE LOG BOOK. THE LOG BOOK DID NOT ACCOMPANY THE FLIGHT AND CONTAINED TWO RED X'S. HE STARTED THE ENGINE, MADE A CONTROL CHECK, ZEROED HIS ALTIMETER AND TOOK OFF. HE DEPARTED RUNWAY 12 WITH HIS SEARCH LIGHT ON AND EXTENDED AND HIS LANDING LIGHT ON AND RETRACTED. HE CLIMBED TO 300 FEET OF ALTITUDE AND WAS TOO HIGH TO SEE THE WATER SO HE STARTED A DESCENT TO 200 FEET, HIS DESIRED ALTITUDE. THE ENLISTED MAN SITTING IN THE LEFT SEAT COULD NOT TELL HOW CLOSE THE AIRCRAFT WAS TO THE WATER BECAUSE OF A HAZE. HE FUNCTIONED ONLY AS AN OBSERVER. THE PILOT'S LAST VISUAL CHECK OF THE INSTRUMENTS SHOW AN ALTITUDE OF 200 FEET AND 70 KNOTS AIRSPEED. THE PILOT THOUGHT THAT HE HAD LEVEL OFF AND WAS MAINTAINING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLIGHT. HE THEN STARTED A RADIO DISCUSSION WITH THE TOWER AND WAS DIVERTING PART OF HIS ATTENTION TOWARD HIS RADIO. THE CREW OF LCPL 48 PATROLLING THE NHA TRANG BAY AREA UNDER BLACKOUT CONDITIONS WITNESSED THE HELICOPTER TAKE OFF AND START FLYING TOWARD THEM. THE HELICOPTER CONTINUED ITS HEADING AND STARTED TO DESCEND. THIS DESCENT WAS MAINTAINED UNTIL THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE WATER. AFTER STRIKING THE WATER THE TAIL CAME UP OVER THE COCKPIT AND THE FUEL EXPLODED AND STARTED BURNING ON THE WATERS SURFACE. THE LCPL BOAT WENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE SCENE AND RESCUED THE TWO SURVIVORS. IN ADDITION THEY PICKED UP FOUR FLIGHT HELMETS AND SMALL PIECES OF WRECKAGE, A TAIL ROTOR BLADE AND THE TIP FROM A MAIN ROTOR. A SEARCH WAS MADE FOR THE OTHER FOUR PASSENGERS BUT NONE WERE FOUND. THE WRECKAGE SETTLED IN 60 TO 65 FEET OF WATER. A NAVY MINE SWEEPER SHIP WAS UTILIZED TO PINPOINT THE WRECKAGE AND NAVY EOD PERSONNEL DIVED TO ASSIST IN THE WRECKAGE RECOVERY.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
This information is available on CD-ROM.
Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
KIA statistics
Return to the KIA panel date index
Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association