Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 64-13738
The Army purchased this helicopter 0765
Total flight hours at this point: 00001054
Date: 05/01/1967
Incident number: 670501171ACD Accident case number: 670501171 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 335 AHC
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YT086035 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYT086035)
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 228554
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 2LT LEGG JOHN DUANE KIA
P WO1 ANDREWS JOHN MICHEAL KIA
CE PFC FOGLER LEWIS JOHN KIA
G SP4 QUINN ROBERT FRANK KIA
Accident Summary:
At approximately 1316 hours, Army helicopters 66-1159 and 64-13738 had a mid-air collision while formation flying at approximately 1,500 feet in the vicinity of YT086035, five miles southeast of Bien Hoa. The two aircraft were part of a flight of nine helicopters of the 335th Assault Helicopter Company flying in a staggered trail left formation from Bien Hoa to Bear Cat. On arrival at Bear Cat, the 335th AHC was to participate in a combat assault operation in support of the 9th Infantry Division. The two aircraft involved in the accident were flying in the #1 and #2 positions in the formation. After take-off, the flight had climbed to 1,500 feet, had leveled off and was flying at an airspeed of 80 knots. The trail aircraft, #9, had told the lead aircraft, #1, that the flight was joined; lead had acknowledged. The trail aircraft had checked on artillery firing out of Bear Cat and had passed the information on to the lead aircraft. At this time, the AC flying the #3 aircraft in the formation noticed that the #2 aircraft had moved in very tight and slightly to the rear and above the lead aircraft. The tip path plane of the #1 and #2 aircraft were overlapping at times. Because of this, the AC in the #3 position decided to increase the distance between his aircraft and #1 and #2. Shortly there after the lead aircraft rose a few feet, and almost struck the #2 aircraft's rotor blades with his rotor blades, then gradually descended again. The #2 aircraft made no adjustments for the rise and fall of the lead aircraft. Again the lead aircraft began to gain a few feet of altitude and banked very slightly to the right. The #2 aircraft again made no adjustment and the two aircraft struck each other approximately four feet inboard of the tip plain. The air was immediately filled with debris, the lead aircraft rolled approximately 15 degrees to the right, went into a nose high attitude, then fell to the ground. The #2 aircraft rolled approximately 20 degrees to the left, assumed a nose low attitude and fell to the ground. Both aircraft lost their transmissions and rotor blades prior to striking the ground. The #2 aircraft was burning prior to hitting the ground.
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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