Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-15654
The Army purchased this helicopter 0569
Total flight hours at this point: 00001058
Date: 09/01/1970
Incident number: 700901241ACD Accident case number: 700901241 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/1/9 CAV
The station for this helicopter was Quan Loi in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YT553354 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYT553354)
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 455945
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:
AC 1LT CHAMBERS JOSEPH LEE KIA
P CW2 KERSEY WILLIAM RUSSELL JR KIA
CE SP4 SCHOONMAKER LARRY KIA
PP WO1 NOLL DAVID ROGER KIA
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT, SN 68-15654 DEPARTED PHAN THIET ENROUTE TO FSB NANCY. UPON REACHING FSB NANCY, MR. KERSEY ASSUMED THE POSITION OF PILOT FROM MR. NOLL. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FSB NANCY ENROUTE TO GRID COORDINATE YT553354, TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WITH RANGER TEAM 54. THE RANGER TEAM LEADER STATED THAT AT APPROXIMATELY 1930 HOURS A HELICOPTER PASSED OVER HIS LOCATION, EXTREMELY FAST AND AT A VERY LOW ALTITUDE. HE THOUGHT THAT BY THE SPEED OF THE AIRCRAFT THAT IT WAS AN AH-1G. SHORTLY AFTER THE SHIP PASSED THE RANGERS POSITION THEY HEARD A LOUD POPPING SOUND. SIMILAR TO THAT WHICH IS ENCOUNTERED WHEN A HELICOPTER IS IN A BANKED TURN WITH POWER BEING APPLIED. THE LEADER STATED THE SOUND WAS MUCH LOUDER THAN HE HAD EVER HEARD. LESS THAN 30 SECONDS LATER THERE WAS AN EXPLOSION. UPON INVESTIGATION THE RANGER TEAM FOUND A HELICOPTER THAT HAD CRASHED AND BURNED.\\
This record was last updated on 11/08/2018
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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