Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47C tail number 68-15866
The Army purchased this helicopter 0569
Total flight hours at this point: 00001032
Date: 11/28/1971
Incident number: 711128081ACD Accident case number: 711128081 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: C/159 AVN
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was Phu Bai in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: ZC010985 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QZC010985)
Number killed in accident = 34 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 31
costing 3901961
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 CW2 CARTER JERALD WAYNE KIA
P CW2 SAVICK JOSEPH JAMES JR KIA
CE SP4 TRUJILLO RAYMOND ANTHONY KIA
G PFC OAKS WILLIE JAMES KIA
X SGT CRAWFORD MICHAEL ALAN KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
CPT NISKANEN MARTIN KEITH, AR, PX, KIA
SSG NYE DANIEL EUGENE, AR, PX, KIA
SP5 STEWART ROY KENNETH, AR, PX, KIA
SP5 WINDFELDER JOHN EDWARD, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 PALMER JAMES EDWARD, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 MASON ALPHONZA, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 IVEY JOEL STEVENS JR, AR, PX, KIA
SSG COLBAUGH HOWARD LEBRON, AR, PX, KIA
SSG THORNTON CARL LEE, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 THOMPSON WILLIAM DARRELL, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 GARRETSON RICHARD EUGENE, AR, PX, KIA
PFC WYNN ROBERT LEE, AR, PX, KIA
CPL MAYBEE MICHAEL OWEN, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 SWEETLAND RONALD KENNETH, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 PAULLEY OSCAR JR, AR, PX, KIA
SGT KUGLER TERRY GUS, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 LUCY ARCHIE THOMAS, AR, PX, KIA
SP6 DANTZLER WILL ROY, AR, PX, KIA
SP5 COFFEY BILLY RAY, AR, PX, KIA
O3 MA UTLEY, LCO, G
PFC BERNAL VINCENT, AR, PX, KIA
1LT LADENSACK ROBERT JOSEPH, AR, PX, KIA
SGT MAYNARD ROBERT DEE, AR, PX, KIA
O3 L SMITH, LCO, G
SP5 CARLETON RONALD DEE, AR, PX, KIA
PFC MCDONALD STEVEN JAMES, AR, PX, KIA
PFC WILSON GARY DUANE, AR, PX, KIA
PFC MARTIN GEORGE PAUL, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 RAMOS BRINSLEY BERNARD, AR, PX, KIA
SP4 AUBAIN JOSEPH AUGUSTINA, AR, PX, KIA
PFC HARE JOHN HENRY, AR, PX, KIA
Accident Summary:
AT 1115 HOURS, 28 NOV 71, ^C CO, 159TH AVN BN, 101ST ABN DIV (AB1)^ RECEIVED A MISSION FROM THE BATTALION OPERATIONS CENTER TO PROVIDE TWO AIRCRAFT FOR AN ADMINISTRATIVE TROOP MOVE FROM LZ 401 AT DA NANG TO CORREGIDOR PAD AT CAMP EAGLE. THE COMPANY OPERATIONS OFFICER, ASSIGNED ^CW2 CARTER AND WO1 SAVICK IN CH-47, 68-15866^ ^(PLAYTEX 866)^ TO TAKE THE DT-2 MISSION. ^WO1 SAVICK^ HAD JUST RETURNED FROM A 32 DAY EMERGENCY LEAVE ON 27 NOVEMBER 1971 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO FLY WITH ^CW2 CARTER^, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER, IN ORDER TO COMPLETE AN AC CURRENCY CHECK.\\ PREFLIGHTED EARLIER THAT MORNING AND DEPARTED LIFTMASTER HELIPORT AT 0830 HOURS TO START A MISSION AT MAI LOC. ^CW2 CARTER AND WO1 SAVICK^ FLEW THE AIRCRAFT FOR THE MISSION AT MAI LOC. UPON ARRIVAL AT MAI LOC IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LOADS WERE NOT READY SO THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO LIFTMASTER AFTER REFUELING AT CORREIGDOR.\\ ^CPT SMITH^ BRIEFED ^CW2 CARTER^ ON THE DT-2 MISSION AND AT 1230 HOURS ON 28 NOV 71 PLAYTEX 866 WITH A CREW OF FIVE DEPARTED LIFTMASTER HELIPORT FOR LZ 401 AT DA NANG TO BEGIN THE MISSION. THE ORIGINAL PZ TIME FOR THE MISSION HAD BEEN 1200 HOURS BUT DUE TO BAD WEATHER THE MISSION WAS PUT ON A HOLD STATUS. AT APPROXIMATELY 1220 HOURS THE BATTALION FLIGHT OPERATIONS OFFICER, ^CPT ROBBINS^ INSTRUCTED ^"C" COMPANY^ OPERATIONS TO LAUNCH THEIR AIRCRAFT AND ATTEMPT THE DT-2 MISSION.\\ THE WEATHER AT 1235 HOURS BETWEEN PHU BAI AND DA NANG WAS OBSERVED TO BE CEILING 600 BROKEN, VISIBILITY FIVE MILES IN LIGHT RAIN AND FOG. THE WEATHER FOR PHU BAI HAD BEEN FORECAST TO BE INTERMITTENTLY 300 SCATTERED, 800 OVERCAST IN LIGHT RAIN, FOG AND DRIZZLE.\\ LOAD OF 29 PAX AND DEPARTED AND FOR CORREGIDOR AT 1310 HOURS. AT 1328 HOURS 28 NOVEMBER 1971 HUE APPROACH CONTROL RECIEVED A CALLED FROM ^PLAYTEX 866^ STATING THAT HE WAS DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND THAT THEY WERE ON THE LKS 130 BEARING. ATTEMPTS BY HUE APPROACH CONTROL TO REESTABLISH CONTACT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.\\ GP WAS NOTIFIED BY THE 159TH BOC OF THE EMERGENCY CALL FROM ^PLAYTEX 866^ AND AT 1350 HOURS THE 101ST DIVISION WAS NOTIFIED. AT 1410 HOURS 28 NOVE 71 A RAMP CHECK WAS INITIATED FOR THE AIRCRAFT IN THE PHU BAI AND DA NANG AREAS. RESULTS OF THE RAMP CHECKS WERE NEGATIVE. THE ^159TH AVN BN^ DISPATCHED ON OH-6 AT 1340 HOURS TO BEGIN SEARCHING FOR THE AIRCRAFT. AT 1436 HOURS, 28 NOV 71, THE 196TH LIB AT DA NANG DISPATCHED TWO AIRCRAFT TO BEGIN THE SEARCH AND AT 1440 HOURS THE 11TH CAG WAS NOTIFIED AND PUT TWO AIRCRAFT ON STANDBY. AT 1545 HOURS RECOVERY CONTROL CENTER AT MONKEY MOUNTAIN, DA NANG, REPORTED NEGATIVE CONTACT WITH THE LOST AIRCRAFT.\\ THE COASTAL SURVEILLANCE CENTER AT DA NANG WAS NOTIFIED AT 1600 HOURS AND AT 1620 'OURS 28 NOV 71 RF/PF UNITS BETWEEN THE HAI VAN PASS AND PHU BAI WERE INSTRUCTED TO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR ^PLAYTEX 866^. THE USS EPPERSON (DD-170 DESTROYER) WAS DIRECTED TO PROCEED TO THE AREA OF THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT AT 1920 HOURS AND ASSUME SEARCH PATTERN. TWO VN NAVY JUNKS AND TWO VN NAVY COASTAL CRAFT ALSO ASSISTED IN THE SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORT.\\ SEARCH AND RESCUE EFFORTS WERE HAMPERED FOR THE NEXT FOUR DAYS BY LOW VISIBILITY CLOUD COVER, HIGH WINDS, AND ROUGH SEAS.\\ AT 0840 HOURS, 2 DEC 71 AN OH-6 PILOT FROM THE 2ND BDE AVIATION SECTION REPORTED SIGHTING WRECKAGE AT COORDINATES ZD 009-003 THAT APPEARED TO BE THE LOST CH-47 AIRCRAFT. SEARCH ELEMENTS WERE NOTIFIED TO DISCONTINUE SEARCH AT 1200 'OURS AND RESCUE OPERATIONS CONTINUED TO BE HAMPERED BY BAD WEATHER. THE ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE WAS APPROXIMATELY 650 FEET AND THROUGHOUT THE SEARCH AND RESCUE APERATION THE CRASH SITE WAS SHROUDED BY CLOUDS.\\ AT 1650 (OURS 2 DEC 71, D CO 2/502 WAS AIRLIFTED FROM CAMP EAGLE TO A POSITION APPROXIMATELY 2500 METERS EAST OF THE CRASH SITE. AT 1030 HOURS THE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BOARD WITH GRAVES REGISTRATION AND EOD PROCEEDED TO THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE BY VEHICLE AND LOCKED UP WITH D 2/502 AT 1300 HOURS 2500 METERS EAST OF THE CRASH SITE. THE RESCUE PARTY CUT THEIR WAY THROUGH THE MOUNTAINOUS JUNGLE TERRAIN AND ARRIVED AT THE CRASH SITE AT 0830 HOURS 5 DEC 71. THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED AND THERE WERE NO SITE AT 0830 HOURS 5 DEC 71. THE AIRCRAFT WAS COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED AND THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS.\\ THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED IN A CREEK BED APPRIXIMATELY 650 FEET UP THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN. THE AIRCRAFT HAD HIT A 50 DEG SLOPE WITH GREAT IMPACT CAUSING THE FUEL CELLS TO RUPTURE AND A FLASH FIRE RESULTED.\\
This record was last updated on 09/20/1998
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