Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1B tail number 62-01967
The Army purchased this helicopter 0363
Total flight hours at this point: 00002882
Date: 07/12/1970
Incident number: 700712021ACD Accident case number: 700712021 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 128 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Phu Loi in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 1
costing 60056
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:
AC W1 WH VANOVER
P W1 TP RIZK
CE E5 JJ JANIEC
G SP4 BURNS MICHAEL EDWARD KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
LC LOCAL, LCO, G
Accident Summary:
THE UH-1B, SERIAL NUMBER ^62-1967^ WAS ON A GENERAL SUPPORT MISSION OPERATING FROM CU CHI IN SUPPORT OF ARVN, ^3RD BRIGADE, 25TH INFANTRY^. THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED WITH 4000-4500 ROUNDS OF 7.62 MINIGUN AMMUNITION, 36 TEN POUND 2.75 ROCKETS, 2 CASES OF SMOKE GRENADES AND FUEL LOAD OF 1050 POUNDS. THE GROSS WEIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS ESTIMATED TO BE 8350 POUNDS. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AT CU CHI, THE AC CHECKED THE CREWCHIEF AND DOOR GUNNER OVER THE INTERCOM, TO DETERMINE IF THEY WERE PROPERLY STRAPPED IN. AT A ONE FOOT HOVER CHECK, PULLING 35.0 POUNDS OF TORQUE, THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT REVEAL ANY BLEED OFF OF ROTOR RPM. AFTER TAKEOFF THE AC ^WO1 VANOVER^ MADE A MAX BLEED TORQUE CHECK AND FOUND THE BLEED TORQUE TO BE 37.5 POUNDS. DURING THE FLIGHT FROM CU CHI TO THE LZ THE GUNNER WAS OBSERVED BY THE CREWCHIEF TO UNBUCKLE AND GO FORWARD TO THE CONSOLE TO GET A CIGARETTE LIGHTER. WHEN HE RETURNED TO HIS SEAT, HE DID NOT BUCKLE IN AGAIN. THE CREWCHIEF, BY HIS OWN STATEMENT, ALSO UNBUCKLED TO GET A SCREWDRIVER TO LOAD HIS MINIGUN. (SEE TAB #D FOR CREWCHIEF'S STATEMENT) HE DID NOT RESCURE HIS HARNESS. UPON ARRIVING AT THE LZ THE COMMAND AND CONTROL SHIP DIRECTED THE AIRCRAFT TO GIVE A DRY MARK AND LOOK THE AREA OVER FOR ANY BARRIERS, OBSTACLES, BELLY PUNCHERS, TAIL ROTOR GRABBERS. (SEE TAB #D FOR STATEMENT OF ^LT . BUCHANAN^ #2 GUN SHIP) THE AIRCRAFT CIRCLED THE AREA TWICE TO GATHER LANDING DATA. THE AC BRIEFED THE CREW ON THE SMOKE DROP. THE AIRCRAFT DECENDED AND TOOK A CROSSWIND HEADING AT 10 TO 15 FEET, AT 40 KNOTS ACROSS THE LZ. AS THE AIRCRAFT PASSED OVER THE AREA, THE CREWCHIEF SPOTTED A BUNKER PRIOR TO DROPPING THE SMOKE TO MAKR THE LZ. AFTER THE DROP WAS MADE THE AC INITIATED A RIGHT TURN WITH SLIGHT AFT CYCLIC TO GAIN ALTITUDE. THE AC WANTED TO RETURN TO FIND THE BUNKER. AT THIS POINT THE AC HEARD THE RPM DETERIORATING. AT THIS TIME HE LOOKED AT THE RPM AND STATES IT WAS ABOUT 6100 AND TORQUE WAS ABOUT 35 POUNDS. (SEE TAB #D FOR ^WO1 VANOVER'S^ STATEMENT) AT 35 FEET AND 25 TO 30 KNOTS, HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE SLIGHTLY DECREASING TORQUE 4 TO 5 POUNDS, INCREASED THE RIGHT BANK TO APPROXIMATELY 20 DEGREES AND APPLIED SLIGHT RIGHT PEDAL TO ATTEMPT TO GAIN RPM. AT THAT POINT, THE AC THOUGHT HE COULD RECOVER. THE RPM DID NOT STABILIZE. IT CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE THROUGH 6100 RPM. WHEN THE INITIAL CORRECTIVE ACTION PROVED INEFFECTIVE THE AC LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AGAIN, BUT NOT FULLY, AND RETURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO A LEVEL ATTITUDE. PRIOR TO INITIAL PITCH PULL THE AC ESTIMATED HIS GROUND SPEED TO BE ABOUT 10 KNOTS, AND THE VEGETATION T BE THREE TO FOUR FEET TALL. THE ACTUAL HEIGHT OF THE VEGETATION WAS 6 TO 7 FEET. THE INITIAL PULL OCCURED JUST ABOVE OR AT THE TOP OF THE VEGETATION. AFTER PITCH PULL THE AIRCRAFT RAN OUT OF ROTOR RPM AND DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. AT 3 TO 4 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND THE AIRCRAFT FELL THROUGH CONTACTING THE GROUND IN A RIGHT YAW. THE LEFT ROCKET POD CONTACTED THE GROUND AND WAS SNAPPED OFF. THE AIRCRAFT THEY YAWED FURTHER TO THE RIGHT AND ROLLED OVER ON ITS LEFT SIDE. ONE WITNESS STATED THE ACTION APPEARED TO BE IN SLOW MOTION. (SEE TAB #D FOR ^WO1 FANTROY'S^ STATEMTN) THE GUNNER, POSITIONED IN THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT, WAS THROWN OR POSSIBLY JUMPED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE GUNNER WAS CRUSHED AND SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON ITS LEFT SIDE. THE CREWCHIEF AND PILOT CRAWLED OUT OF THE WRECKAGE WHILE THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER SHUT OFF THE FUEL AND BATTERY. THERE WAS NO FIRE ALTHOUGH FUEL WAS LEAKING FROM THE FUEL CELL. THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS RUNNING AFTER THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON ITS LEFT SIDE.\\
This record was last updated on 09/20/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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