Helicopter OH-6A 67-16459


Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16459
The Army purchased this helicopter 1168
Total flight hours at this point: 00001264
Date: 05/10/1970
Incident number: 700510151ACD Accident case number: 700510151 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/7/1 CAV
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 154221
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.

Crew Members:
P W1 SM CARLETON
OB SP4 GOLDEN WILLIAM JOSEPH KIA


Accident Summary:

 THE OH-6A, SN: 07-16459, WAS ON A LOW LEVEL VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE (C.R.) MISSION IN CAMBODIA ON THE MORNING OF 10 MAY 70. SOMETIME AFTER 1200 HOURS SOME BATS HAD FLOWN INTO THE AIRCRAFT AND KNOCKED OUT THE PLEXIGLASS IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND QUADRANT OF THE COCKPIT. THE MISSION WAS CONTINUED HOWEVER, UNTIL ALL THE MINI-GUN AMMUNITION WAS EXPENDED. WO-1 CARLETON WAS THE PILOT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND HAD BEEN FLYING TRAIL OR A TWO SHIP MISSION. SGT GOLDEN WAS FLYING AS WO-1 CARLETON'S OBSERVER. AT THE COMPLETION OF THE MISSION, BOTH SHIPS RETURNED TO DON PHUC TO REFUEL. ONCE AT DON PHUC, CARLETON DID NOT REFUEL, BUT SHUT HIS AIRCRAFT DOWN AND HAD A CREW CHIEF AID HIM IN EXAMINING THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE BATS. BOTH CARLETON AND THE CREW CHIEF DECIDED THAT ALTHOUGH THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT SAFE TO BE FLOWN IN THE AREA OF OPERATION (AO), IT COULD BE FLOWN BACK TO VINH LONG, WHERE THE DAMAGE COULD BE REPAIRED IN TIME FOR THE NEXT MISSION. WO-1 CARLETON STARTED HIS AIRCRAFT AND HOVERED DIRECTLY TO POL AND SET THE AIRCRAFT DOWN. SGT GOLDEN DEPLANED AND BEGAN REFUELING OPERATIONS. AT THIS TIME A SOLDIER AT A NEARBY REFUELING POINT BEGAN WAVING AT WO-1 CARLETON, AS IF TO SAY THAT THERE WAS NO POL. CARLETON DID NOT QUESTION THE SOLDIER AS THERE HAD BEEN PROBLEMS EARLIER THAT DAY WITH THE PUMPS AT POL. CARLETON THEN DECIDED TO REFUEL AT THE CLOSEST REFUELING AREA TO DON PHUC, WHICH WAS AT AN LONG, 20 NAUTICAL MILES TO THE S.W.. SGT GOLDEN GOT BACK IN THE AIRCRAFT AND WAS HANDED A MAP AND SHOWN GENERALLY WHERE AN LONG WAS. HE WAS THEN TOLD TO NAVIGATE WHILE CARLETON PILOTED THE AIRCRAFT. NEITHER CARLETON, NOR GOLDEN HAD EVER BEEN TO AN LONG BEFORE. THEY DEPARTED TRAFFIC AND FLEW IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION, OUT OF TRIM TO KEEP THE WIND OUT OF THE BROKEN PLEXIGLASS ON THE PILOTS SIDE. WHEN THEY TOOK OFF THEY HAD ABOUT 100 LBS OF FUEL REGISTERED. THE FUEL LOW WARNING LIGHT HAD BEEN WRITTEN UP AS INOP. THE ENGINE OUT AUDIO WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE INOP DURING THE FIRST RUNUP OF THE DAY BY WO-1 CARLETON. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN AT AN ENROUTE ALTITUDE OF 1,000 FEET AND AT AN AIRSPEED OF 60 KNOTS. HE WAS FLYING INTO A LIGHT HEAD WIND COMPONENT. 30 MINUTES AFTER THEY DEPARTED FROM DON PHUC, THEY WERE ABOUT 2 MILES NORTH OF TUNG TOI. THIS WAS ABOUT 20 NM TO THE NNE OF THEIR INTENDED DESTINATION OF AN LONG. WO-1 CARLETON MISTOOK TUNG TOI FOR AN LONG, TURNED SOUTH AND BEGAN TO DESCEND ON APPROACH. HE LEVELED OFF AT ABOUT 400 FEET AND WAS FLYING STRAIGHT AND LEVEL WHEN THE ENGINE QUIT. CARLETON NOTICED THE TORQUE METER BEGIN TO UNWIND AND NOTICED THE SILENCE WHICH FOLLOWED THE FLAME OUT. HE ENTERED AUTOROTATION BY LOWERING THE COLLECTIVE, ADDING RIGHT PEDAL AND TURNING TO THE RIGHT HEADING INTO THE WIND. AFTER COMPLETING A DECELERATION HE APPLIED PITCH, BUT DID S O TOO LATE. HE HIT HARD BREAKING HIS RIGHT SKID. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED, LEAVING THE GROUND AND TURNING TO THE RIGHT. CARLETON FELT THAT HE HAD LOST HIS TAIL ROTOR BY HITTING HARD, AND APPARENTLY OUT OF PANIC, BOTTOMED HIS COLLECTIVE AND CAME CRASHING TO THE GROUND, NOSE FIRST. THE AIRCRAFT STARTED ROLLING TO THE RIGHT BECAUSE OF THE BROKEN SKID, BUT CARLETON APPLIED LEFT CYCLIC TO TRY AND LEVEL THE AIRCRAFT. INSTEAD, THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON ITS LEFT SIDE SMASHING THE LEFT PROTION OF THE CABIN DOOR FRAME. THE BLADES WERE GOING FAST ENOUGH TO WRAP THEMSELVES AROUND THE HEAD. IT WAS PROBABLY WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HIT ON ITS LEFT SIDE THAT THE OBSERVER BANGED HIS HEAD EITHER ON THE GROUND OR ON THE ARMOR PLATE WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO BREAK HIS HELMET AND INFLICT A FATAL INJURY. WO-1 CARLTON RECEIVED NO INJURIES FROM THE ACCIDENT. NO RADIO CALLS WERE MADE GOING DOWN AND NOBODY ELSE SAW THE ACCIDENT OCCUR. WO-1 CARLETON PULLED HIS OBSERVER OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ATTEMPTED LIMITED FIRST AID. SGT GOLDEN WAS BLEEDING FROM THE MOUTH SO WO-1 CARLETON PLACED HIM ON HIS STOMACH AND PUT A SHIRT UNDER HIS HEAD. WHEN CARLETON SAW SOME AIRCRAFT OVERHEAD HE ATTEMPTED TO GAIN THEIR ATTENTION BY POPPING SOME SMOKE GRENADES, BUT THIS FAILED. HE THEN WENT BACK TO THE AIRCRAFT, TURNED THE BATTERY SWITCH ON AND MADE A MAYDAY CALL ON GUARD. ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER HIS CRASHED AIRCRAFT WAS SPOTTED AND ASSISTANCE WAS RENDERED. BY THAT TIME CARLETON HAD MANAGED TO GET HIS OBSERVER TO TUNG TOI IN THE VEHICLE OF AN ARVN SOLDIER AND RETURNED TO THE AIRCRAFT. SGT GOLDEN WAS DEAD BEFORE MEDICAL AID COULD BE ATTAINED.\\

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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