Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 66-16504
The Army purchased this helicopter 0667
Total flight hours at this point: 00001088
Date: 10/27/1968
Incident number: 681027061ACD Accident case number: 681027061 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 92 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Dong Ba Thin in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 514554
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 WO1 MULLINS EDWARD PATRICK KIA
AC WO1 ACKERMAN DENNIS CARLTON KIA
CE SP4 HEAD NOBLE THOMAS KIA
G PFC BRAY RICHARD LOYD III KIA
Accident Summary:
UH-1H Army helicopter 66-16504 was involved in an accident during an attempted medical evacuation from A/3/506th, located at coordinates BN 368958. There was a crew of four(4) on board the flight. A pilot report on the weather in the area of the crash at 1545 hours was overcast at 20 feet above terrain and the mission of 66-16504 was to pick up a sick man from A/3/506th at BN 368958 and take him to fire base (Tudo). The aircraft entered a hole in the overcast and was flying from west to east toward A Company's position. Aircraft 462, orbiting one(1) mile to the north, called 504 and said that the weather was deteriorating rapidly and advised aborting the mission. WO1 Ackerman rogered this transmission. Prior to this transmission, WO1 Mullins had reported to A Company that he had their LZ in sight. No further transmissions were received from aircraft 504 and at 1545 hrs. A Company reported hearing what they thought was a crash and small arms fire. At 1545 hrs., Stallion aircraft 462 and A Company began a search for the missing aircraft. At 1607 hrs., A Company reported hearing small arms fire at approximately 300 meters. At 1618 hrs., a company reported locating the aircraft and two (2) bodies at BN 376965, which is approximately 1200-1300 meters in the direction of flight from A Company's LZ and a ground distance of approximately 1800 meters. At 1640 hrs, A Company reported finding another body approximately 100 feet northwest of the wreckage. At 1658 hrs., A Company reported that the "A" Company executive officer went into the wreckage itself and located the fourth body. When the aircraft was located, it was found to have burned and M-60 ammo was still being detonated from the heat. The aircraft was traveling from west to east, but the wreckage was found pointing from east to west. The search for additional bodies was continued the rest of the afternoon as it was not immediately known how many persons were aboard the aircraft.
This record was last updated on 04/14/1999
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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