Helicopter CH-47A 66-19001


Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A tail number 66-19001
The Army purchased this helicopter 1066
Total flight hours at this point: 00001167
Date: 07/16/1969
Incident number: 690716341ACD Accident case number: 690716341 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 196 ASHC
This was an Operational Loss caused by an accident by Accident with the mission function of Maintenance Flight (test flight)
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was An Son in South Vietnam
Casualties = YES . . Number killed in accident = 7 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
Search and rescue operations were Not Required
costing 1337317
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center AVDAC database. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory and Helicopter was not recovered

Crew Members:
AC 2LT PRICE JACK LEON KIA
P CW2 WILLIS KENNETH MAX KIA
FE SP5 SINGLETON ELWIN EARL KIA
G SP4 HURT DARRELL VON KIA
CE SP4 ALLISON ARTHUR RICHARD KIA

Passengers and/or other participants:
SP4 HOFF RONALD ALVIN, AR, C , KIA
SP4 KIDD JOHNNY LEE, AR, C , KIA


Accident Summary:

 AT 1915 HOURS 16 JULY 1969, A CH-47A 66-19001 BELONGING TO THE 196TH AVIATION COMPANY (ASSAULT SUPPORT HELICOPTER) WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT FOR COMPLETION OF 13TH PMP. ON APPROACH TO LANE ARMY HELIPORT, AN SON, VIETNAM, THE CREW CONTACTED LANE TOWER AND WAS CLEARED TO LAND, SUDDENLY, THE AIRCRAFT PITCHED NOSE UP, CONTINUED PITCHING UP UNTIL INVERTED, AND UPON REACHING A VERTICLE NOSE DOWN POSITION PLUNGED TO THE GROUND. INITIAL EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE INDICATED THAT IMPACT HAD BEEN SEVERE, AND HAD BEEN FOLLOWED BY A DESTRUCTIVE FIRE. THE STATEMENT OF CW2 WILLIAMS, AND LT LAIRD, INDICATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAINTAINED A VERTICLE POSITION UNTIL FIRE CAUSED THE AFT PORTION OF THE FUSELAGE TO FALL FORWARD AND SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT OF THE NOSE SECTION. THE ENGINES REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE AT IMPACT, BUT DROPPED OFF BESIDE THE FORWARD SECTION AS FIRE CONSUMED THE AIRCRAFT. ALL SEVEN ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES - PRICE, 2LT, 383-40-6177; WILLIS, CW2 223-50-4806; HOFF, SP4, 305-50-1880; ALLISON, SP5, 013-38-4277; KIDD, SP4, 446-46-2931; SINGLETON, SP5, 462-74-8123; HURT, SP4, 317-52-9472. THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED.\\


War Story:
I witnessed this crash from in front of my Hydraulics Shop and it was obvious from the force of the crash and the ensuing fire that there was little chance of survivors. While there was a loss of the 5 crewmembers and two members of the Maintenance team that had performed the PMP on the aircraft, there is more to tell of the aftermath of the incident. There were normally 3 maintenance team members that flew on the Test Flights. The one member that missed the flight was my friend SP4 Larry Nusbaum. After the crash I found him between the Flight office and the Maintenance office, standing in shock, just looking out at the scene (he had been unable to find a flight helmet as I recall). This incident had a profound effect on Larry for the rest of his Tour. Out of all of the people on the flight, CW2 Ken Willis was the individual I knew best. He would often come down to our barracks and share a few beers with us and always made the enlisted personnel feel at ease around him. It was a pleasure and an honor to have known him. It should be noted that after the crash, there were still many things to do, a roll call of all enlisted personnel and Officers. Then the collection of the personal effects of those lost in the accident. As a SP5, I was selected to be part of the party that collected the personal property of the enlisted personnel that died in the crash. This put a lot of responsibility on me, because the Senior NCO and Officer that accompanied me were responsible to see that it was done correctly but It was my duty to actually collect the effects and interact with and check with the Bunk Mate to determine if the individual owed money to anyone or if anyone owed him money and verify what in the cubical belonged to the deceased. I would then pack the belongings for shipment home. It was a hard thing to do, knowing that I was the last one to touch these personal belongings before they were shipped home to the family. I have wondered what the impact was on the family, when they receive that final shipment. While I did not know all of the personnel very well, there is always a sense of loss when you lose those you have worked with. I had forgotten just how much impact this had on me, until I came across this report. Then the feelings came back and I remember comforting or rather trying to comfort the Bunk Mates of these men and them crying over the loss of someone who had become a close friend. Now I again had to relive that incident and again I think of Larry and how close to death one of my closest friends came on that July day. In Memory of those lost soles of 001, Robert E. Weygandt weygandr@msn.com March 2005

This record was last updated on 03/19/2005


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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