Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15816
The Army purchased this helicopter 1168
Total flight hours at this point: 00001545
Date: 09/11/1971
Incident number: 710911071ACD Accident case number: 710911071 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 361 AWC
The station for this helicopter was Camp Holloway in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: BR165430 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PBR165430)
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 615633
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 CW2 MAKINTAYA ALEJANDRO KIA
CE SP4 KILDUFF MICHAEL JOHN KIA
Accident Summary:
^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ DEPARTED VUNG TAU AS FLIGHT LEAD IN A FLIGHT OF TWO AH-1G AIRCRAFT INTENDING TO FERRY THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO PLEIKU, RVN. THE PILOT OF THE SECOND AIRCRAFT, ^67-15610^, WAS CPT CORMIER. NO WRITTEN FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED WITH EITHER BASE OPERATIONS. THEY ALSO FAILED TO INITIATE FLIGHT FOLLOWING WITH CAPITOL RADIO IN SAIGON. AT 1830 HOURS AIRCRAFT ^67-15610^ CALLED PHAN THIET RADIO FOR ARTILLERY CLEARANCE BUT THERE WAS NO REQUEST FOR FLIGHT FOLLOWING. AT 1845 HOURS AIRCRAFT ^67-15610^ INITIATED FLIGHT FOLLOWING WITH COSTAL RADIO WITH AN ETA AT TUY HOA OF 1915 HOURS. AT 1920 AIRCRAFT ^67-15816^ CALLED TUY HOA TOWER FOR LANDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR A FLIGHT OF TWO. BOTH AIRCRAFT LANDED AT TUY HOA AT 1929 HRS, REFUELED AND DEPARTED AT 1940 HRS. FLIGHT FOLLOWING WAS NOT REOPENED WITH TUY HOA RADIO. NO RADIO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH QUIM NHON RADIO. FROM QUI NHON THE AIRCRAFT TURNED WEST FLYING TOWARDS PLEIKU. RADIO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH PHY CAT APPROACH CONTROL AND ARTILLERY INFORMATION RECEIVED. THE AIRCRAFT WERE ADVISED TO REMAIN ABOVE 5200 FEET. THE TWO AIRCRAFT THEN CLIMBED TO 6000 FEET MSL. STATEMENTS FROM CREW MEMBERS INDICATE THAT THE TWO AIRCRAFT HAD GOOD WEATHER UNTIL THEY WERE APPROXIMATELY 10 TO 15 MINUTES WEST OF AN KHE. THE WEATHER SEEMED CLEAR TO THE NORTH AND ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ SAID THAT THEY WOULD NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM MAKING IT TO PLEIKU. THERE WERE SCATTERED CLOUDS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THEM TO THE WEST. APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 5 MINUTES AFTER FLYING OVER THE SECOND FIRE BASE WEST OF AN KHE ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ SAID THAT HE SAW THE MOUNTAINS AND THAT THEY COULD MAKE IT THROUGH. ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ TOLD ^CPT CORMIER^ TO SWTICH HIS VHF RADIO TO PLEIKU APPROACH CONTROL. UP TO THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN USING VHF TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ THEN STARTED A SHALLOW DESCENT AND ^CPT CORMIER^ STARTED FOLLOWING HIM. ^CPT CORMIER^ STATES THAT HE WAS GOING INTO THE CLOUDS AND LOST SIGHT OF ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^. ^CPT CORMIER^ THEN BEGAN CLIMBING IN 360 DEG TURNS. HE TRIED TO CONTACT ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ BUT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE CONTACT. THE LAST CONTACT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 HRS JUST BEFORE ^CW2 MAKINTAYA^ WENT INTO THE CLOUDS. HE WAS NOT HEARD FROM AGAIN. ^CPT CORMIER^ CALLED PLEIKU APPROACH CONTROL FOR A GCA AND LANDED SAFELY. A SEARCH AND RESCUE WAS INITATED AND THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED AT APPROXIMATELY 1430 HOURS 13 SEP 71. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING SOUTHEAST AND DESCENDING WHILE APPROACHING A RIDGELINE THAT RUNS NORTH AND SOUTH. APPARENTLY THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK TREE TOPS AT THE SUMMIT OF AN ELEVATED PORTION OF THE RIDGELINE, CONTINUED APPROXIMATELY 200 METERS AND IMPACTED WITH THE GROUND.\\
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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