Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-15359
The Army purchased this helicopter 0269
Total flight hours at this point: 00001274
Date: 09/27/1970
Incident number: 700927121ACD Accident case number: 700927121 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 3 BDE 101 ABN
The station for this helicopter was Camp Evans in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 455945
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 CPT JACOBS PHILLIP HAROLD KIA
P CPT LANGMAN WILLIAM JAMES KIA
CE SGT PARSELLS JOHN WILLIAM KIA
G CPL KRUPKIN STEVEN HAROLD KIA
Accident Summary:
ON 27 SEPTEMBER 1970, AT APPROXIMATELY 20:35 HOURS, UH-1H HELICOPTER, 68-15359, WITH THE ABOVE LISTED CREW ABOARD, DEPARTED CAMP EVANS ON AN INSTRUMENT TRAINING FLIGHT. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED VFR AND FILED IFR IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF WITH HUE APPROACH CONTROL. THE FLIGHT WAS MONITORED BY EVANS GCA OUT TO APPROXIMATELY 9 MILES WHERE CONTACT WAS LOST DUE TO THE AIRCRAFT ENTERING AN AREA OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION OR POSSIBLE THUNDERSTORM SHOWN ON THE RADAR SCOPE. RADIO CONTACT WAS LOST BY EVANS GCA APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF. THE LAST THE LAST TRANSMISSION RECEIVED FROM AIRCRAFT 359 WAS WHEN HE WAS GIVEN HIS POSITION BY EVANS GCA AT 6 MILES FROM EVANS AND HE ROGERED AND TOLD EVANS GCA THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING MILD TURBULENCE. HUE APPROACH CONTROL'S LAST CONTACT WAS AT 20:45 HOURS WHEN THE PILOT REPORTED ESTABLISHED ON THE 090 DEGREES MAGNETIC BEARING OFF THE EVANS RADIO BEACON (OF). THERE WERE NO FURTHER CONTACTS MADE WITH AIRCRAFT 359. SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS WERE INITIATED BY HUE APPROACH CONTROL AT 21:15 HOURS AFTER 30 MINUTES OF LOST COMMUNICATIONS. AIRCRAFT 359 WASLOCATED AT 08:15 HOURS, 28 SEPTEMBER 1970, 2.5 NAUTICAL MILES NORTH OF HUE IN A RICE PADDY WHERE IT HAD CRASHED THE NIGHT BEFORE. ALL FOUR CREW MEMBERS WERE KILLED. THE AIRCRAFT HAD IMPACTED INVERTED IN APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OF WATER. WRECKAGE WAS STREWN FROM APPROXIMATELY 800 METERS SOUTH OF THE IMPACT POINT ALONG A NORTHERLY HEADING TO THE IMPACT POINT AND FROM THE IMPACT POINT IN A NORTHEASTERLY DIRECTION OUT TO 200 METERS. THE WRECKAGE PATTERN OF AIRCRAFT PARTS, PERSONAL EQUIPMENT AND REMAINS INDICATED AN INFLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT EXPLODED ON IMPACT. THE UNDERSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT BURNED TO THE WATER LINE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A PORTION OF THE TAILBOOM AND EMPENNAGE.\\
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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