Helicopter UH-1H 69-15142


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15142
The Army purchased this helicopter 0270
Total flight hours at this point: 00000613
Date: 10/27/1970
Incident number: 701027011ACD Accident case number: 701027011 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 336 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Can-Tho in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 2 . . Passengers = 0
costing 350145
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 BAGLEY JACK LAWRENCE KIA
P O3 JA HARDT
CE E5 SL ZORC
G SP4 PYSZ ALEX DENNIS KIA


Accident Summary:

 AT 0015, 27 OCT 70, AIRCRAFT UH-1H, 69-15142 WITH LT BAGLEY AS AIRCRAFT COMMANDER AND CPT HARDT AS PILOT DEPARTED SOC TRANG ARMY AIRFIELD ON A NIGHT VSUAL RECON (FIRE FLY) MISSION. THEY INITIALLY CLIMBED TO 1,000 FT AGL AND PROCEEDED TO SEARCH FOR THE "TIGER'S TAIL", A LONG STRIP OF WOODED AREA SOUTHWEST OF SOC TRANG ARMY AIRFIELD. UNABLE TO LOCATE IT THEY CLIMBED TO 2,500 FT AND LAUNCHED TWO FLARES. THEY HAD SPOTTED THE TIGER'S TAIL AND DESCENDED TO MAKE A LOW PASS AND FIRE THE CAL 50 THEY HAD ON BOARD. THEY ALSO HAD IN OPERATION THEIR LIGHT CLUSTER. AFTER DESCENDING TO APPROXIMATELY 300 FT THE CREW CHIEF, SP/4 ZORC, TURNED THE LIGHT CLUSTEROFF. LT BAGLEY CONTINUED TO DESCEND TO APPROXIMATELY 25 FEET, WHERE HE LEVELED OFF AT 85 K AIRSPEED, SWITCHED HIS SEARCH LIGHT ON, OBSERVED THE TREE, AND STARTED A CYCLIC CLIMB TO THE RIGHT. HE WAS UNABLE TO AVOID THE TREE (APPROX 15 INCHES IN DIAMETER) AND STRUCK IT ON THE LEFT FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT. AT THIS TIME THE AIRCRAFT WENT OUT OF CONTROL IN A LEVEL CLOCKWISE SPIN AND STRUCK NUMEROUS SMALLER TREES IN THE AREA. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE IN A LIGHTLY WOODED AREA 45 METERS FROM THE POINT OF INITIAL IMPACT. THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT FIRE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED.\\

This record was last updated on 06/24/2003


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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