Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-00662
The Army purchased this helicopter 1166
Total flight hours at this point: 00001274
Date: 05/13/1970
Incident number: 700513211ACD Accident case number: 700513211 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 174 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Duc Pho in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: BS724537 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PBS724537)
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 456015
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Summary: Engine failure 1 KM southwest of Mo Duc Airfield.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P WO1 HENKE RICHARD ARTHUR KIA
P WO1 SHEFFIELD FREDRICK WAYNE KIA
CE SP4 JOHNS ERNEST LEE KIA
G SP4 JARRELL SIDNEY WADE KIA
Accident Summary:
ON THE MORNING OF 13 MAY 1970, AT APPROXIMATELY 0530 HOURS GUNSHIP 66-15662 DEPARTED DUC PHO ON A COMBAT MISSION. DUE TO A DELAY IN THE COMBAT ASSAULT, HE AND THE TEAM LEAD AIRCRAFT BROKE STATION TO REFUEL AT QUANG NGAI AIRFIELD. ON APPROACH TO QUANG NGAI, AIRCRAFT 662 STATED TO HIS TEAM LEADER (SEE STATEMENT TAB D) THAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING COLLECTIVE FEEDBACK ON HIS AIRCRAFT. WO1 HANKE LANDED AND MADE A HOVER CHECK AND STATED THAT HIS AIRCRAFT FELT O.K. THE FIRE TEAM DEPARTED QUANG NGAI AIRFIELD AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WO1 HENKE STATED HE WAS EXPERIENCING COLLECTIVE FEEDBACK AGAIN. HE WAS QUESTIONED BY CPT RIDDLE, THE GUNSHIP TEAM LEADER, ON THE SEVERITY OF THE FEEDBACK AND STATED HE FELT HE COULD RETURN TO DUC PHO WITHOUT FURTHER DIFFICULTIES. APPROXIMATELY FIVE (5) MINUTES LATER CPT. RIDDLE HEARD WO1 HENKE'S MAYDAY CALL. (SEE TAB D) HE IMMEDIATELY FLEW TO THE SUSPECTED LOCATION OF THE EMERGENCY AND DISCOVERED THE BURNING WRECKAGE OF AIRCRAFT 662. CPT. GUNDER OF THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY TRAINING TEAM VIETNAM, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE 1ST OF THE 4TH ARVN BATTALION, QUANG NGAI, OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER GUNSHIP FLYING SOUTH ALONG ROUTE ONE AT AN ESTIMATED ALTITUDE OF 150 FEET. (SEE TAB D) HE STATED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED LZ DRAGON THERE WAS A CHANGE IN ENGINE SOUND SIMILAR TO A MUFFLED BACK FIRE. AT THE SAME TIME THAT CPT GUNDER HEARD THE ENGINE NOISE, HE OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT TURN 90 DEGREES TO THE WEST AND APPARENTLY EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FAILURE. HE ALSO OBSERVED PUFFS OF BLACK SMOKE BEING EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE EXHAUST. CPT GUNDER OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT DESCEND UNTIL IT WENT BELOW THE TREE LINE. HE ALSO HEARD THE AIRCRAFT IMPACT.\\
This record was last updated on 01/25/2009
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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