Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47C tail number 68-15824
The Army purchased this helicopter 1068
Total flight hours at this point: 00000373
Date: 08/22/1969
Incident number: 690822261ACD Accident case number: 690822261 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 213 ASHC
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was Phu Loi in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 6 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 1838024
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 BROWN BARRETT CHAMBERLAND KIA
P 1LT CHALLBERG CURTIS PAUL KIA
CE SP5 JOHNSON ARTHUR HARRY KIA
G SP4 KUAHIWINUI MOSES IWANE JR KIA
FE SP5 BOAT MICHAEL TERRY KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
SP4 KETELAAR ROBERT LEE, AR, G, KIA
Accident Summary:
ON 22 AUGUST 1969, AT 0815 HOURS, A CH-47C HELICOPTER, SN: 68-15824, BELONGING TO THE 213TH AVIATION COMPANY( ASLT SPT HEL), PHY LOI, RVN, WAS CONDUCTING A ROUTINE AIRCRAFT RECOVERY OF A U.S. AIRFORCE O-1E BIRDDOG FROM THE AIRSTRIP AT HAN QUANH, RVN NEAR AN LOC, RVN, TO BEN HOA AFB, RVN, WHEN IT CRASHED AND BURNED 8 KILOMETERS EAST OF FIRE SUPPORT BASE "THUNDER III". AT 0730 HOURS ON 22 AUGUST 1969, BLACKCAT (213TH'S CALL SIGN) 824 DEPARTED PHU LOI, RVN, FOR THE HAN QUANH AIRSTRIP. THE AIRCRAFT ARRIVED ON STATION AND MADE CONTACT WITH THE RIGGING CREW FROM THE 520TH TRANSNSPRTATION BATTALION, PHU LOI, RVN, WHO WERE PREPARING THE SLINGS ON THE O-1E. TIME OF ARRIVAL AT HAN QUANH AAS APPROXIMATELY 0750 HOURS. THE CH-47C REMAINED ON THE AIRSTRIP FOR APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN (15) MUNUTES UNTIL THE RIGGING WAS COMPLETED. AT 0805 HOURS, THE CH-47C HOVERED OVER THE O-1E AND WAS ATTACHED BY MEANS OF TWENTY (20) FOOT SLING. THE RIGGERS STATED THAT SPOILERS WERE INSTALLED ON BOTH WINGS AND THAT THE RIGGING REMAINED INTACT UNTIL THE ACCIDENT. THE CH-47C DEPARTED THE "OFF-LOADING" AREA AND WAS FOLOWED BY THE RIGGER'S UH-1H ABOUT THREE (3) MINUTES LATER. AT LIFT-OFF THEE RIGGERS STATED THAT THE O-1E WAS A LITTLE NOSE HIGH, BUT AS THE CH-47C REACHED TRANSLATIONAL LIFT, THE O-1E STABLIZED IN A NORMAL FLIGHT ATTITUDE. AFTER LIFTING OFF FROM HAN QUANH, THE RIGGERS NOTICED THAT THEY WERE ABOUT TWO THOUSAND (2,000) METERS BEHIND THE CH-47C AND AT AN AIRSPEED OF NINETYFIVE (95) KNOTS, WITH NO APPARENT RATE OF CLOSURE. ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1500 FEET. THE RIGGING SHIP INCREASED AIRSPEED TO 105 KNOTS AND BEGAN TO NOTICE A SLOW RATE OF CLOSURE. UP TO THIS TIME, THE O-1E WAS RIDING EXTREMELY WELL. THIS IS VERIFIED BY THE CREW OF ANOTHER UH-1H FROM THE 11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT OUT OF QUAN LOI, RVN, WHO WERE ON A COURIER RUN AND HEADING IN THE SAME DIRECTION. WITNESSES, IN BOTH SHIPS, STATE THAT: THE O-1E BEGAN AN OSCILLATION LEFT AND THEN RIGHT, STABLILIZING MOMENTARILY. AT THIS TIME, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER IN THE RIGGING SHIP TRIED TO CALL THE CH-47C, BUT AS HE DEPRESSED HIS MICROPHONE SWITCH, THE CH-47C BEGAN A SLIGHT LEFT BANK. SIMULTANEUOSLY, THE O-1E PITCHED NOSE HIGH AND CLIMBED INTO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AFT ROTOR SYSTEM, STRIKING THE REAR ROTOR WITH THE RIGHT WING. THE O-1E BURST INTO FLAMES AND DISINTEGRATED IMMEDIATELY ON IMPACT. THE CH-47C MINUS PORTIONS OF THE AFT ROTOR BLADES FELL IN A TAIL LOW ATTITUDE, INVERTING PRIOR TO IMPACT. WITNESSES STATE THAT THE FORWARD ROTOR SYSTEM WAS TURNING SLOWLY AFTER IMPACT WITH THE O-1E AND THAT THE AFT PYLON SEPARATED AT ABOUT 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. MOST WITNESSES STATE THAT THERE WAS A SMALL LOCALIZED FIRE ON THE LOWER RIGHT AFT SIDE OF THE CH-47C AS IT FELL THROUGH THE AIR AND THAT A LARGE EXPLOSION WITH FIRE OCCURRED UPON IMPACT WITH THE GROUND. PLACEMENT OF SECTIONS OF THE FORWARD ROTOR INDICATE THE FORWARD ROTOR CAME APART AFTER THE CRAFT INVERTED AND PRIOR TO IMPACT. EVIDENCE GATHERED AT THE CRASH SITE INDICATES THAT THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE ON A 140 DEGREE HEADING FALLING THROUGH THE TREES ON APPROXIMATELY AN 85 DEGREE ANGLE FROM THE GROUND. THE FORWARD TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY WAS DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY FIVE (5) FEET INTO THE GROUND. THE AFT PYLON ASSEMBLY WAS LOCATED SOME 40 METERS ON A 300 DEGREE HEADING FROM THE MAIN CRASH SITE. THE UH-1H FROM THE 11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT CALLED QUAN LOI AND REQUESTED A MEDEVAC SHIP. AT 0830 THE MEDEVAC SHIP ARRIVED OVER THE CRASH SITE AND LOWERED A MEDICAL CREWMEMBER INTO THE TREES ON A JUNGLE PENETRATOR. HE COULD FIND NO SURVIVORS AND REPORTED A TOTAL DESTRUCTION. THE RIGGING SHIP REMAINED ON STATION UNTIL 0940 HOURS.\\
This record was last updated on 12/01/1998
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