Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16489
The Army purchased this helicopter 1168
Total flight hours at this point: 00000948
Date: 12/23/1969
Incident number: 691223211ACD Accident case number: 691223211 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 20 ENG BDE
The station for this helicopter was Bien Hoa in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 3 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
costing 255769
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 CPT WEHUNT ROBERT LEONARD KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
SP5 MARFURT RICHARD AGUST JR, AR, PX, KIA
1LT WHITE TIMOTHY CHAMPREAUX, AR, PX, KIA
Accident Summary:
THE MISSION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS A ROAD RECONNAISSANCE OF QL 20. THE FLIGHT INCLUDED STOPS AT BASE CAMPS BRAVO, CHARLIE AND DELTA COMPANIES OF THE 169TH ENGINEER BATTALION, LOCATED ALONG HIGHWAY QL 20. AT APPROXIMATELY 1030 HOURS, NEAR PHUONG LAM, RADIO CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED BETWEEN LT WEHUNT IN 16489 AND WO GOELTZENLEUCHTER WHO WAS CLYING CASTLE 550, A UH-1 ASSIGNED TO THE SAME UNIT. WO GOELTZENLEUCHTER IN CASTLE 550 LANDED AT BRAVO COMPANY, 169TH LOCATED AT PHUONG LAM WHILE 16489 ORBITED. ON DEPARTURE FROM THE BRAVO COMPANY AREA, CASTLE 550 TRANSMITTED HIS INTENTIONS. 16489 ACKNOWLEDGED THE TRANSMISSION, ADVISED THAT HE WAS ON SHORT FINAL, AND REQUESTED THAT CASTLE 550 HOLD HIS AIRSPEED DOWN AND HE WOULD FOLLOW HIM TO THEIR NEXT DESTINATION, CHARLIE COMPANY, LOCATED AT XA BINH HOA. CASTLE 550 ACKNOWLEDGED. WHILE ENROUTE TO CHARLIE COMPANY, CASTLE 550 CONTACTED XUAN LOC ARTILLERY FOR CLEARANCE. XUAN LOC ARTILLERY REPLIED THAT A FIRE MISSION WAS IN PROGRESS FROM FIRE SUPPORT BASE LIBBY, PARALLELING THE HIGHWAY AND ADVISED THAT FLIGHT SHOULD BE MADE A LOW LEVEL, DOWN THE HIGHWAY TO FSB LIBBY. ON ARRIVAL AT FSB LIBBY, CASTLE 550 ADVISED THAT HE WOULD MAKE CONTACT WITH THEIR BASE CONTROL WITH A POSITION REPORT FOR BOTH AIRCRAFT. LT WEHUNT IN 16489 ACINOWLEDGED. THE POSITION REPORT WAS MADE AND CASTLE 550 PRECEEDED TO CHARLIE COMPANY PAD AND DISCHARGED HIS PASSENGER. AT THIS TIME, 1050 HOURS, THE CREW OF CASTLE 550 RECEIVED A TRANSMISSION ON GUARD CHANNEL CONCERNING A DOWNED LOH NEAR FSB LIBBY. CASTLE 550 IMMEDIATELY DEPARTED THE CHARLIE COMPANY PAD TO LOCATE THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT. ON ARRIVAL AT THE ACCIDENT SCENE, WO GOELTZENLEUCHTER LANDED AND PROCEEDED ACROSS THE HIGHWAY TO THE CRASHED LOH. AT THIS TIME HE IDENTIFIED THE AIRCRAFT AS OH-6A, 67-16489 AND THE PILOT AS LT WEHUNT. HE THEN RETURNED TO FSB LIBBY AND REPORTED THE MISHAP VIA LAND LINE TO HIS BASE OPERATIONS. DURING THE TIME CASTLE 550 WAS ON HIS APPROACH TO THE CHARLIE COMPANY AREA, LT RAMSEY IN OH-6A, 227, WAS SETTING ON THE LANDING PAD AT FSB LIBBY AND OBSERVED OH-6A, 16489 FLYING AT LOW LLEVEL DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND SOUTHEAST TOWARD THE FIRE SUPPORT BASE. HE THEN TURNED HIS HEAD AND ASKED THE CREW CHIEF IF HE HAD THE AIRCRAFT IN SIGHT THAT WAS ON APPROACH TO THE LANDING PAD. HE THEN TURNED HIS HEAD BACK TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SAW OH-6A, 16489 HIT THE TOP OF A SMALL TWO STORY BUILDING BESIDE HIGHWAY QL 20, JUST NORTH OF THE FIRE SUPPORT BASE. HE STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE TOP OF THE BUILDING THEN HIT THE GROUND AT A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT WHERE IT EXPLODED ON IMPACT. HE IMMEDIATELY TOOK OFF TO TRY TO RENDER ASSISTANCE. ON ARRIVAL AT THE ACCIDENT HE OBSERVED ONE MAN INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT WHO WAS OBVIOUSLY DEAD AND ANOTHER PERSON LYING IN THE GRASS APPROXIMATELY TEN FEET FROM THE AIRCRAFT. LT RAMSEY FURTHER STATED THAT HE WITNESSED THE ACCIDENT ONLY FROM THE TIME THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE BUILDING. HOWEVER, HE OBSERVED THAT ONE OF THE TOP LINES FROM A GROUP OF HIGH TENSION LINES THAT SPANNED THE ROAD WAS BROKEN AT A POINT IN LINE WITH THE FLIGHT PATH OF THE AIRCRAFT AND ASSUMED THAT 16489 HAD STRUCK THE LINE.\\
This record was last updated on 09/20/1998
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