Helicopter UH-1H 68-15244


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-15244
The Army purchased this helicopter 1268
Total flight hours at this point: 00001647
Date: 03/28/1970
Incident number: 700328051ACD Accident case number: 700328051 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 135 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Bear Cat in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 365945
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 COOK DONALD WARREN KIA
IP CW2 CLEMONS WILLARD LEE INJ


Accident Summary:

 AIRCRAFT 68-15244 DEPARTED THE REFUELING AREA WITH 1200 LBS OF FUEL AT BEAR CAT ON A 90 DAY STANDARDIZATION RIDE. THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT WAS CW-2 CLEMONS AND THE PILOT WAS WO-1 COOK. THEY PROCEEDED TO THE FAC STRIP WHICH IS LOCATED AT BEAR CAT AND CW-2 CLEMONS PROCEEDED TO ADMINISTER THE STANDARDIZATION FLIGHT. THE FLIGHT WAS NORMAL UNTIL ON DOWN WIND AT AN ALTITUDE OF 600 FEET CW-2 CLEMONS ATTEMPTED TO GIVE A PRACTICE HYDRAULICS FAILURE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER TURNING OFF THE HYDRAULICS SWITCH THE RIGHT FUEL BOOST PUMP LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE ENGINE DRIVEN FUEL PUMP LIGHT, THE ENGINE FAILED AND WO-1 COOK PUT THE AIRCRAFT INTO AUTOROTATION WITH AN AIRSPEED OF 60 KNOTS. THEY WERE OVER RELATIVELY FLAT TERRAIN WITH BRUSH 10-12 FEET TALL. WO-1 COOK ATTEMPTED TO LAND ON A NARROW DIRT ROAD RUNNING THROUGH THE BRUSH, BUT COULD NOT REACH THE ROAD AND TOUCHED DOWN ON A HEADING OF 310 DEGREES WITH A HARD RIGHT SKID AND NOSE LOW ATTITUDE IN THE BRUSH 5 FEET SHORT OF THE ROAD. (SEE TAB 9 # 3). THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED INTO THE AIR AND ROLLED TO THE LEFT AND LANDED INVERTED BURSTING INTO FLAMES UPON IMPACT. CW-2 CLEMONS ESCAPED FROM THE BURNING AIRCRAFT WITH 2ND DEGREE BURNS OVER 88% OF HIS BODY AND WALKED DOWN THE DIRT ROAD A DISTANCE OF APPROXIMATELY 400-500 METERS TO THE MAIN ROAD LEADING FROM BEAR CAT. HE WAS SPOTTED BY A UH-1 HELICOPTER AND IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED TO THE 93RD EVACUATION HOSPITAL AT LONG BINH, RVN. A POST FIRE TRUCK ARRIVED AT THE SCENE OF THE CRASH 30 MINUTES AFTER THE CRASH, AFTER IT HAD BEEN ALERTED BY A TOWER OPERATOR AT BEAR CAT. THE TOWER OPERATOR, SGT HAINES, HEARD TWO MAY DAY CALLS OVER THE RADIO BUT DID NOT SEE THE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT BUT COULD SEE THE SMOKE AND FLAMES AT THE CRASH SITE. THE BODY OF WO-1 COOK WAS REMOVED FROM THE WRECKAGE AT 1355 HOURS 28 MARCH 1970.\\

This record was last updated on 05/25/1998


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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