Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16162
The Army purchased this helicopter 0768
Total flight hours at this point: 00000893
Date: 06/08/1969
Incident number: 690608131ACD Accident case number: 690608131 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 2 BDE 9 INF
The station for this helicopter was Dong Tam in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 205569
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 WO1 OWENS ALBERT DANNY KIA
Accident Summary:
AT APPROXIMATELY 0330, 8 JUNE 1969, MEMBERS OF THE 3RD BN, 47TH INF, WORKING UNDER THE 2D BDE, REPORTED THAT THEY HAD RUN INTO ENEMY CONTACT AND HAD REQUESTED AN OH-6A AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH WAS STATIONED ON THE USS WHITFIELD COUNTY, A NAVAL LST, HAD BEEN REQUESTED AND APPROVED BY COL RAINVILLE, COMMANDING OFFICER OF THE 2D BDE. CPT CARROLL, THE BDE AVN OFFICER, STATION ON THE LST, WAS THEN NOTIFIED OF THE SCRAMBLE AND DECIDED WO1 OWENS WOULD FLY THE MISSION. WO1 OWENS WOULD FLY THE MISSION. WO1 OWENS WAS THEN AWAKENED BY SP4 TIPPETT, AND TOLD THAT HE WAS TO FLY THIS PARTICULAR MISSION. CPT CARROLL THEN WENT DOWN TO THE DECK TO MAKE SURE WO1 OWENS WAS FULLY AWAKEN AND ABLE TO FLY THE MISSION. CPT CARROLL IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE BRIDGE OF THE SCRAMBLE AND PROCEEDED TO GET THE FLIGHT CREW TO THEIR STATIONS. A FEW MINUTES LATER WO1 OWENS CAME OUT ON THE FLIGHT DECK AND STARTED UP THE AIRCRAFT. AT THIS TIME THE SHIP'S GUNS STARTED FIRING THEIR .50 CALIBRE MACHINE GUNS AT AN ENEMY COMPLEX ON THE SHORELINE. CPT CARROLL THEN PROCEEDED TO GET A CEASE FIRE BY CALLING THE BRIDGE AND NOTIFYING THEM OF THE DEPARTING AIRCRAFT. AFTER THE CEASE FIRE WAS IN EFFECT, CPT CARROLL GAVE WO1 OWENS THE "THUMS UP" AND CALLED THAT HE COULD DEPART. WO1 OWENS THEN LIFTED THE AIRCRAFT TO A HOVER, MADE A LEFT PEDAL TURN AND LIFTED OFF TO AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 50 FEET HEADING NORTH. AFTER HE WAS ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM THE LST HE MADE A RIGHT TURN AND HEADED EAST. IT APPEARED AS IF HE WAS GOING TO CIRCLE AROUND THE SHIP TO GAIN AIRSPEED. DURING THIS TIME THE AIRCRAFT GRADUALLY BEGAN TO LOSE ALTITUDE TO A POINT WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT MORE THAN 20 FEET ABOVE THE WATER. AS HE STARTED TO LEVEL OFF AND HEAD INTO THE WIND, THE SKIDS OF THE AIRCRAFT SKIMMED THE WATER. SECONDS LATER THE SHIP TILTED FORWARD, CRASHED INTO THE RIVER AND SANK RAPIDLY. THE WIND WAS AT A HEADING OF 240 DEGREES AT 5 KNOTS AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE MISHAP CPT CARROLL AND SP4 TIPPETT GOT IN ANOTHER AIRCRAFT AND PROCEEDED TO SEARCH FOR THE MISSING LOH. THE SEARCH CONTINUED THAT NIGHT WITH THE HELP OF OTHER AIRCRAFT FROM A & B, 9TH AVN BN. THERE WERE NEGATIVE RESULTS OF BOTH THE AIRCRAFT AND WO1 OWENS.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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