Helicopter UH-1H 69-15297


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15297
The Army purchased this helicopter 0470
Total flight hours at this point: 00000219
Date: 09/27/1970
Incident number: 700927111ACD Accident case number: 700927111 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 237 MED DET
The station for this helicopter was Phu Bai in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YD382420 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QYD382420)
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 3 . . Passengers = 4
costing 289345
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 W2 WR ADAMS
P W1 JC DOZHIER
CE E4 RW EVOY
MD SP4 MAC LURG DAVID WEBSTER KIA

Passengers and/or other participants:
UNIT CO, LCO, G
UNK, PAX,
UNK, PAX,


Accident Summary:

 ON 27 SEP 70 ADAMS, WALTER R., CW2, 420-58-5770 AND THE CREW ABOARD THE SHIP DEPARTED, CAMP EVANS FOR QUANG TRI AT APPROXIMATELY 1900 HRS; WITH A VIETNAMESE CHILD AND MOTHER. THE CHILD WAS CLASSIFIED URGENT BECAUSE IT HAD SUFFERED NEARLY 100 PER CENT BURNS. THE MOTHER, WHO WAS UNINJURED, WAS ACCOMPANING THE CHILD. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ENROUTE TO QUANG TRI AT LOW LEVEL WITH SEARCH LIGHT ON, APPROX 150 TO 200 FEET MSL ABOVE HIGHWAY #1. THE VISIBILITY BECAME SO BAD THAT THE SEARCHLIGHT WAS TURNED OFF AND THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED TO 400' AND QUANG TRI GCA WAS CONTACTED ON UHF, BUT NO RADAR CONTACT COULD BE MADE SO THEY CLIMBED TO 1500', BUT RADAR CONTACT STILL COULD NOT BE MADE SO THE ADF WAS TUNED IN TO QUANG TRI RADIO BEACON. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER NOTICED HIS ATTITUDE INDICATOR WAS INDICATING A LEFT TURN THOUGH THE TURN NEEDLE WAS CENTERED; HOWEVER HE WAS ABLE TO KEEP THE SHIP UNDER CONTROL. THE TOWER CONTACTED THE AIRCRAFT AND INFORMED THEM THEY HAD THEIR BEACON TURNED ON SO THE CREW COULD TELL THEY WERE OVER THE FIELD. AT THIS TIME THE CREW SAW A GLOW, AND THINKING QUANG TRI WAS BELOW, THEY EXECUTED A LEFT HAND DESCENDING TURN, WHICH INDUCED A SEVERE FORM OF VERTIGO ON THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER, THEN THE PILOT TOOK THE CONTROLS AND CONTINUED THE TURN. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER GOT RE-ORIENTED AND TOOK THE CONTROLS AT 1000'. THEN BOTH PILOTS EXPERIENCED VERTIFO AND THEY BOTH WERE ON THE CONTROLS. IN THIS MANNER THEY WERE ABLE TO CONTROL THE AIRCRAFT AND CLIMBED BACK TO 2000', WHERE THEY ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE AND HEAVY RAIN. BOTH PILOT AND AIRCRAFT COMMANDER WERE OVER CORRECTING AND THE AIRCRAFT WENT OUT OF CONTROL. THEY LOST THEIR AIRSPEED AND WENT INTO A FAST DESCENDING TURN WHICH WAS CHECKED AT 1000' AND THE LOW RPM AUDIO CAME ON, THEN THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON ITS SIDE AND THE PILOT NOTICED QUANG TRI TRIED TO MAKE CONTACT BUT THE CREW WAS TOO BUSY TO ANSWER. THEY WERE DESCENDING AT 2000 FT/MIN. THE A/C SQUACKED EMERGENCY ON THE TRANSPONDER. AT 600 TO 700 FT. THEY WERE ABLE TO SLOW THE DESCENT TO 500 FT/MIN BY PULLING IN POWER. THE ATTITUDE INDICATORS WERE TUMBLING AND OF NO USE. WITHIN SECONDS THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED WITH THE GROUND AT APPROXIMATELY 500 FT/MIN. RATE OF DESCENT WITH NO FORWARD AIRSPEED. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ON ITS LEFT SIDE AFTER IMPACT. THE MAST SNAPPED AND THE FREE MAIN ROTOR SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM BEFORE IT CAME TO REST ACROSS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE.\\

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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