Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15719
The Army purchased this helicopter 0868
Total flight hours at this point: 00001468
Date: 08/25/1970
Incident number: 700825101ACD Accident case number: 700825101 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: A/2/20 ARA 1 CAV
This was an Operational Loss caused by an accident by Accident with the mission function of Armed Helicopter (having primary weapon subsystems installed and utilized to provide direct fire support)
The station for this helicopter was Bien Hoa in South Vietnam
Casualties = YES . . Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
Search and rescue operations were Not Required
costing 593230
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:
P CW2 RAWLINSON TERRELL LEE KIA
P WO1 GODFREY BARRY WILLIAM KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
RT HENSELEN, FCO, G
Accident Summary:
^AH-1G,SN: 67-15719^, WAS PART OF A LIGHT FIRE TEAM THAT DEPARTED PHOUC VINH AT 1300 HOURS, 25 AUG 1970, ENROUTE TO ^BIEN HOA ARMY BASE^ WHERE IT WAS TO PERFORM A DEMONSTRATION OF THE CAPABILITIES OF AERIAL FIELD ARTILLERY. THE NORMAL DEMONSTRATION, WHICH INCLUDED SEVERAL FIRING PASSES AND A LOW LEVEL FLY BY WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH ONLY ONE INCIDENT. THE WING SHIP ON THE FLY BY CAME CLOSER TO THE SPECTATORS THAN WAS NECESSARY AND BARELY MISSED A PARKED AIRCRAFT. AFTER THE FLY BY THE GROUND CONTROLLER GAVE THE SECTION AN END OF MISSION AND THEY SHOULD HAVE RETURNED TO PHOUC VINH. INSTEAD OF RETURNING, THE SECTION LEADER APPROVED A SECOND FLY BY. THE SECTION DID NOT FORM UP INTO A FORMATION PRIOR TO THE DIVE BUT WERE TO FORM UP WHILE IN THE DIVE. THE LEAD SHIP FLEW BY THE SPECTATORS WHILE THE WING SHIP TOOK UP A COURSE APPROXIMATELY 60 DEGREES AWAY FROM THE SPECTATORS DOWN RANGE. HE INITIATED A STEEP DIVE AT APPROXIMATELY 700 FEET APPEARED TO ATTEMPT A RECOVERY AT 200 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO ALMOST A LEVEL ATTITUDE WHEN IT HIT THE GOUND AND EXPLODED. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND THE SKIDS AND ROCKET PODS BROKE OFF, BOTH BLADES HIT THE GROUND,THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED UP APPROXIMATELY 10 FEET AND STRUCK A 12 FOOT HIGH BERM. THE BERM FLIPPED THE AIRCRAFT END TO END AND IT BROKE APART.\\
This record was last updated on 04/15/2004
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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