Helicopter UH-1H 67-19497


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-19497
The Army purchased this helicopter 1168
Total flight hours at this point: 00002385
Date: 10/17/1971
Incident number: 711017051ACD Accident case number: 711017051 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: A/101 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Camp Eagle in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 5 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 3
costing 580945
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 1LT WEBB ROBERT MITCHELL JR KIA
P WO1 SEARING JACK EDWARD KIA
CE SGT BARRINGTON ALVIS T JR KIA
G SP4 BROWN BARRY LEE KIA
CE SP5 DEPREO WALLACE JOSEPH KIA

Passengers and/or other participants:
UNK, MS, G
UNK, LCO, G


Accident Summary:

 AT APPROXIMATELY 2040 HOURS ON THE 17TH OF OCTOBER 1971, ^A COMPANY, 101ST AVIATION BATTALION^ WAS ALERTED FOR A FLARE MISSION. AT THAT TIME THEIR STANDBY CREW WAS SCRAMBLED. AFTER LIFT-OFF FROM CAMP EAGLE THE FLARESHIP PROCEEDED TO FIRE SUPPORT BASE (FSB) BIRMINGHAM UNDER GCA RADAR CONTROL. AT FSB BIRMINGHAM THE FLARESHIP, WORKING IN CONJUCTION WITH THE NIGHTHAWK AIRCRAFT, ORBITED FOR ABOUT 15 TO 20 MINUTES. BECAUSE OF A DELAY IN THE PLANNED ARTILLERY SUPPORT PLUS THE FACT THAT NIGHTHAWK WAS GETTING LOW ON FUEL, BOTH AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO CAMP EAGLE. AT APPROXIMATELY 2130 HOURS AFTER BOTH AIRCRAFT REFUELED THEY RETURNED TO ORBIT OVER FSB BIRMINGHAM. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO ORBIT IN THIS MANNER FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. AFTER THE ARTILLERY CEASED FIRING NIGHTHAWK CONTINUED WITH HIS RECONNAISSANCE MISSION. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, IN BEGINNING HIS FLARE DROP MISSION, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER LOST CONTORL OF HIS FLARESHIP PROBABLY DUE TO A SUDDEN HEAVY RAIN SHOWER THAT CUT VISABILITY TO ALMOST ZERO. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FLARESHIP CRASHED. AT THAT TIME, APPROXIMATELY 2204, THE NIGHTHAWK AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO CAMP EAGLE.\\


War Story:
The Nighthawk aircraft was 68-16341 which returned to base.

This record was last updated on 01/25/2001


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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