Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 66-16232
Date: 12/10/1969
Incident number: 691210171ACD Accident case number: 691210171 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: C/229 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Tay Ninh in
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 4 . . Passengers = 2
costing 300365
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.
Crew Members:
AC W1 TW THOMPSON
P W1 LM TATARSKI
CE E4 CW GUEST
G SP4 ALLMERS ROBERT ROGER KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
O3 LCO, LCO, G
E3 J BIERCHER, PAX, D
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT WAS JUST RETURNING TO TAY NINH UPON COMPLETION OF ITS ASSIGNED MISSION. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER WAS CLEARED FOR A 200 DEGREE LANDING AT THE BLUE MAX PAD TO LET OUT A PASSENGER HE HAD PICKED UP AT PHUOC VINH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A HEADING OF 200 DEGREES WITH 80 KNOTS AIRSPEED AND 700 FEET INDICATED. BOTH PILOT AND AIRCRAFT COMMANDER, HAVING LANDED AT TAY NINH MANY TIMES BEFORE, AND SEEING THE LIGHTS OF TAY NINH NOT MORE THAN A MILE AWAY, HAD STARTED TO RELAX. THEY STARTED TO GO INTO TAY NINH VFR, WITH THE LIGHTS OF TAY NINH AS THEIR HORIZON, MAKING A LONG SHALLOW APPROACH INTO THE LANDING AREA. THEIR DESCENT WAS HELD TO ABOUT 300 FPM. A FEW SECONDS HAD PASSED WHEN BOTH CREW CHIEF AND AIRCRAFT COMMANDER SAW A TREE PASS THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SHIP. KNOWING HE WAS LOW, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER STARTED TO PULL PITCH; BUT HE WAS TOO LATE. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND IN AN 80 KNOT ATTITUDE. AIRCRAFT 232 PLOWED THROUGH FOUR RICE PADDY DIKES BEFORE COMING TO REST ON ONE OF THE FARM ROADS IN THE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER, CREW CHIEF, AND PASSENGER WERE THROWN FREE OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT AND GUNNER WERE BOTH PINNED INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT. THE CREW CHIEF REMAINED CONSCIOUS AND HELPED FREE THE PILOT FROM HIS SEAT.\\
War Story:
One night about 10:00 p.m. one of our helicopters flew into a rice paddy dike about three miles north of Tay Ninh while going 80 knots. The pilots were returning from Phuc Vinh after flying C&C for the Division Engineering Battalion CO. They had been flying about 16 hours that day and tried to make a straight in approach. They suffered from spatial disorientation and thought they were well above the runway. Shem, Craig and I were at the 187th O-club when the call came about the crash. We jumped in Craig's jeep and drove to the evac where he immediately went to work sewing up the cuts. I was impressed to see him change from a semi-inebriated state to pure professionalism. Every one survived except the door gunner. He was in the only part of the helicopter that stayed in tact but the smoke grenade box tore lose from the bulkhead, hit him in the head and killed him. The pilots wee thrown from the wreckage still strapped in their seats. There wasn't any of the wreckage over 36 inches in height. from Fred Zacher, June 1999.
This record was last updated on 08/14/1999
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