Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17767
The Army purchased this helicopter 0968
Total flight hours at this point: 00001877
Date: 05/14/1970
Incident number: 700514171ACD Accident case number: 700514171 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 187 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Tay Ninh in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XT305220 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PXT305220)
Number killed in accident = 7 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 4
costing 500945
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 LARKIN THOMAS JOHN II KIA
P WO1 KRUG RAYMOND HENRY JR KIA
CE SP4 TAYLOR KENT CHILDS KIA
G PFC BLAIR CHARLES DOUGLAS KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
, , G
X1 THANG, , PX, KIA
X1 TRANG, , PX, KIA
MAJ BARTON JAMES RAYBON, AR, PX, KIA
Accident Summary:
THE FLIGHT WAS VISUAL RECON WHICH ORIGINATED AT APPROXIMATELY 1400 HOURS 14 MAY 1970 AT TAY NINH, RVN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN TO TAY NINH EAST WHERE ONE AMERICAN ADVISOR AND TWO ARVN OFFICERS BOARDED. WHILE ON RETURN FROM THE RECON, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER WAS IN CONTACT WITH A MAJOR SHEN AND TRYING TO HOME TO HIS POSITION DURING BAD WEATHER WHEN CONTACT WAS LOST AT APPROXIMATELY 1615 HOURS. MAJOR SHEN WAS UNABLE TO REESTABLISH CONTACT AND NOTIFIED THE 187TH AHC OPERATIONS PERSONNEL OF THIS. THEY WERE ALSO UNABLE TO CONTACT THE AIRCRAFT AND A SEARCH WAS INITIATED. THE WRECKAGE WAS DISCOVERED AT 1800 HOURS. ANALYSIS OF THE WRECKAGE AND WRECKAGE DISTRIBUTION INDICATES THAT THE MAIN ROTOR STRUCK THE TAIL BOOM THREE TIMES. THE FIRST STRIKE WAS JUST IN FRONT OF THE 42 GEARBOX SEVERING THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AND COVER, THE SECOND COMPLETELY SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM AT THE SYNCHRONIZED ELEVATORS AND THE THIRD PARTIALLY SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM A FEW FEET AFT OF THE TAIL BOOM ATTACHING POINTS. EACH STRIKE RESULTED IN MAST BUMPING AND THE LAST IN MAST SEPARATION. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT (VERY LITTLE FORWARD AIRSPEED) ROLLING TO THE LEFT, STRUCK THE GROUND ON ITS LEFT SIDE AND BOUNCED TO A FINAL RESTING POINT ON ITS LEFT SIDE APPROXIMATELY 10 METERS TO THE NE OF THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THE MAIN ROTORS CONTINUED ON AFTER SEPARATION TO LAND 80 METERS NE OF THE MAIN WRECKAGE. DURING THE TAIL BOOM STRIKES OR JUST AFTER, ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE STRUCK THE LEADING LEFT EDGE OF THE VERTICAL FIN JUST ABOVE THE 42 GEARBOX AND PARTIALLY SEVERED THE VERTICAL FIN CAUSING THE OTHER TAIL ROTOR BLADE TO BE THROWN FROM ITS GRIP. AFTER BEING SEVERED THE TAIL BOOM CONTINUED ON TO LAND APPROXIMATELY 28 METERS TO THE WEST OF THE TAIL BOOM'S FINAL POSITION. THERE WAS NO FIRE.\\
This record was last updated on 11/13/2011
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