Helicopter OH-6A 68-17232


Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 68-17232
The Army purchased this helicopter 0669
Total flight hours at this point: 00000102
Date: 10/02/1969
Incident number: 691002181ACD Accident case number: 691002181 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 2 BDE 4 INF
The station for this helicopter was An Khe in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: BR661616 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PBR661616)
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 140220
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 1LT LAKE JOHN ROACH JR KIA


Accident Summary:

 THE FIRST INDICATION OF LT LAKE'S DIFFICULTY WAS A RADIO TRANSMITTION DECLARING A MAYDAY. HE INFORMED HIS CONTROL AGENCY THAT HE WAS LOSING HIS TAIL ROTOR AND WAS GOING TO TRY TO MAKE IT TO LZ HARD TIMES WHERE HIS CONTROL AGENCY WAS BASED. AT 1811 HORS LT LAKE STATED HE WAS OUT OF CONTROL AND SPINNING AND THAT HE WAS EAST OF LZ HARD TIMES. HE KEPT REPEATING MAYDAY AND THAT HIS AIRCRAFT WAS OUT OF CONTROL. LAST RADIO CONTACT WAS AT 1813. SEVERAL AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SEARCH FOR THE DOWNED OH-6A BUT WERE UNCUCCESSFUL. ON THE EVENING OF 5 OCTOBER 1969 THE WRECKAGE WAS FOUND AND THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A CLOCKIISE SPIN ON IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TREVELING IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION AND THE FIRST POINT OF MAJOR IMPACT WAS A SINGLE TREE WHICH WAS STRUCK BY THE TOP OF THE AIRCRAFT TAIL BOOM INDICATING THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS TURNED ON ITS SIDE AT ONE POINT IN THE DESCENT, POSSIBLY DUE TO THE DRAG ON THE SKIDS AS IT SPED THOOUGH THE DENSE FLIAGE. THE REAR PORTION OF THE TAIL BOOM SEPARATED WHEN IT STRUCK THE TREE AND WAS THROWN THROUGH THE FOUR TREES WHERE THE AIRCRAFT MADE FINAL IMPACT APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AGAINST THE FOUR TREES AND SLID TO THE GROUND WEDGED TIGHTLY IN PLACE. THE TAIL ROTOR, OUTPUT DRIVE SHAFT AND 90 DEG GEAR BOX ASSEMBLY WERE NOT FOUND AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT.\\

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 name list

Return to the KIA panel date index

Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association