Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-15767
The Army purchased this helicopter 0769
Total flight hours at this point: 00000246
Date: 10/28/1969
Incident number: 691028211ACD Accident case number: 691028211 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: C/227 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Phouc Vinh in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 0
costing 400145
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 WO1 TADEVIC RALPH DULANE KIA
P O2 SPENCER JAMES FREDERICK KIA
OB CPL CONNOLLY TERRENCE CHARLES KIA
CE E4 FW SMITH
G SP4 AYALA GEORGE HERMAN KIA
Accident Summary:
THE MISSION WAS IN SUPPORT OF 2D BDE, 1ST CAV DIV (AM), AT SONG BE, RVN. THE MISSION CONSISTED OF ONE UH-1 HELICOPTER WITH ONE AH-1G GUN SHIP AS ESCORT AND ATTACK SUPPORT. THE AIRCRAFT FIRST DEPARTED PHUOC VINH AT ABOUT 1800 HOURS, 27 OCTOBER 1969, BUT DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THEIR DESTINATION WERE REQUIRED TO RETURN TO PHUOC VINH. WO TADEVIC, WHILE ON FINAL APPROACH TO BUTTONS ENTERED IFR CONDITIONS AND EXPERIENCED VERTIGO SEVERE ENOUGH TO REQUIRE TURNING OVER CONTROL TO LT SPENCER. LT SPENCER EXECUTED A MISSED APPROACH AND INSTRUMENT CLIMB TO VFR CONDITIONS WHERE WO TADEVIC AGAIN ASSUMED CONTROL AND FLEW THE SHIP TO PHUOC VINH. THERE IS NO INSTRUMENT APPROACH AT FSB BUTTONS. AT APPROXIMATELY 2400 HOURS, WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE REPORTED TO HAVE IMPROVED THROUGHOUT THE DIVISION AREA OF OPERATIONS WITH THE DISSIPATION OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH HAD EXISTED EARLIER IN THE EVENING. MISSION ZA06 WAS ORDERED TO DEPART FOR BUTTONS. BOTH AIRCRAFT ARRIVED AT FSB BUTTONS AFTER UNEVENTFUL FLIGHTS, AND A MISSION BRIEFING WAS CONDUCTED AT APPROXIMATELY 0100 HOURS. DURING THE BRIEFING IT WAS REPORTED THAT FOG COVERED MOST OF THE AIRCRAFT'S AREA OF OPERATIONS, AND IT WAS DECIDED TO HOLD THE AIRCRAFT DOWN UNTIL CONDITIONS HAD IMPROVED. BY 0200 HOURS, FOG BEGAN MOVING INTO THE AREA OF FSB BUTTONS, AND THE CREWS WERE RELEASED FROM THEIR MISSION AND TOLD THAT THEY COULD RETURN TO HOME STATION, "IF YOU CAN GET OFF IN THIS WEATHER." AFTER DISCUSSING THE CONDITIONS, THE PILOTS DECIDED THAT THE UH-1H WOULD TAKE OFF AND MAKE A WEATHER CHECK, REPORTING THE HEIGHT OF THE FOG LAYER AND ACTUAL CONDITIONS ON THE REPORTED WEATHER. THE UH-1H WAS STARTED, LIFTED TO A HOVER, AND MOVED OUT OF THE REVETMENT. HE BEGAN AN IMMEDIATE TAKEOFF FROM BETWEEN TWO ROWS OF REVETMENTS. TAKEOFF WAS ON A HEADING OF 230 DEGREES. NAVIGATION LIGHTS, THE ROTATING BEACON, LANDING LIGHT, AND THE AIRCRAFT SEARCHLIGHT WERE ALL ON DURING THE TAKE-OFF. THE TAKE-OFF WAS NORMAL TO A POINT ABOUT 200 METERS FROM DEPARTUREPOINT AT AN ALTITUDE OF ABOUT 100 FEET AGL. AT THIS POINT, OVER THE DEFENSIVE PERIMETER OF THE FIRE SUPPORT BASE, THE LANDING AND SEARCH LIGHTS WERE TURNED OFF AND THE AIRCRAFT STARTED A DESCENDING RIGHT TURN. THE TURN WAS STOPPED AFTER ABOUT 30 DEGREES, BUT THE DESCENT CONTINUED OVER THE CLEARED AREA OUTSIDE OF THE DEFENSIVE WIRE UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED IN THE TREES AT THE EDGE OF A RUBBER PLANTATION 400 METERS FROM THE FIRE SUPPORT BASE.\\
This record was last updated on 08/08/1999
This information is available on CD-ROM.
Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
KIA statistics
Return to the KIA panel date index
Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association