Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-19529
The Army purchased this helicopter 1168
Total flight hours at this point: 00000440
Date: 05/04/1969
Incident number: 690504121ACD Accident case number: 690504121 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/227 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Di An in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 816345
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. )
Summary: Mid-air with 67-17818. Both carshed and burned.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC 1LT FLAGELLA JAMES POTITO KIA
P WO1 REMMLER MILTON WILLIAM JR KIA
CE SGT ROSS DON LEWIS KIA
G SGT PLEMMONS NORMAN LEE KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
UNK UNK, LCO, G
Accident Summary:
THE TWO AIRCRAFT DEPARTED DIAN ABOUT THE SAME TIME AND JOINED INTO FORMATION. AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, THE BOARD DETERMINED THAT ^818^ WAS LEADING AND ^529^ WAS FLYING RIGHT ECHELON. HELICOPTER ^529^ CALLED ^818^ AND SAID THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PASS THEM ^(818)^. AS ^529^ ATTEMPTED TO PASS ON THE RIGHT, ^818'S^ MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACTED ^529'S^ MAST. THE FORCE OF THIS CONTACT AND A POSSIBLE SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF ^529'S^ MAIN ROTOR CAUSED ^529'S^ TRANSMISSION TO BE RIPPED OUT TOWARDS THE FRONT. SEVERE VIBRATIONS, INCLUDING MAST BUMPING, SEPARATED ^529'S^ MAIN ROTOR BLADE FROM THE TRANSMISSION. ABOUT THE TIME OF IMPACT, ONE TIP OF ^529'S^ MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRUCK ^818'S^ MAIN ROTOR HUB. AFTER INITIAL IMPACT, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE OF ^818^ CONTINUED ON TO KNOCK THE LEFT PILOT'S DOOR OF ^529^ LOOSE AND DECAPITATED THE PILOT OF ^818^. AFTER THE MAIN ROTOR AND TRANSMISSION SEPARATED FROM ^529,^ IT CRASHED AND BURNED KILLING ALL ON BOARD. AFTER THE INITIAL MIDAIR CONTACT, ONE BLADE OF ^818'S^ MAIN ROTOR BLADE LOST A SIZEABLE PIECE OF HONEYCOMB. THIS CREATED AN OUT OF BALANCE CONDITION WHICH ADDED TO THE SEVERE VIBRATION THAT FOLLOWED. THE VIBRATION CAUSED LOSS OF CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO SHAKE ITSELF APART. THE TAIL BOOM SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE, THE MAST BUMPING CAUSED THE MAIN ROTOR TO COME OFF THE MAST. ^818^ THEN CRASHED AND BURNED KILLING ALL FOUR CREW MEMBERS.\\
This record was last updated on 06/30/2000
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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