AT 3 FT HOVER ACFT EXPC ENG FAILURE TACHOMETER FELL TO 96 PCT TORQUEMETER FELL TO 37 LBS & ENG TACHOMETER FELL TO 5600 RPM CAUSING ACFT TO LAND HARD ICDT DAM \
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 66-16009
The Army purchased this helicopter 0267
Total flight hours at this point: 00001743
Date: 05/20/1970
Incident number: 700520221ACD Accident case number: 700520221 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 281 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Nha Trang in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 5 . . Injured = 3 . . Passengers = 4
costing 344345
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 W1 HENRY DW
CP O3 PRIDDY RT
CE SP5 QUALLS ARTHUR GERALD KIA
G SP5 LAMBERTSON PAUL BRUCE KIA
Passengers:
UNK, PAX, C;
UNK, PAX, A;
UNK, PAX, A;
UNK, PAX, A;
Accident Summary:
THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST BEEN RELEASED FORM A COMMAND AND CONTROL MISSION FOR THE 44TH ARVN REGIMENT AT SONG MAU, TINH BINH PROVINCE, RVN. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A CREW OF FOUR AND FOUR ARVN PASSENGERS ON BOARD AND HAD JUST DEPARTED POL AT SONG MAU WITH APPROXIMATELY 1235 LBS OF FUEL ON BOARD. THE PILOT IS COMMAND, WHO WAS FLYING THE RIGHT SEAT, WAS TEN MINUTES OUT OF SONG MAU, ENROUTE TO NHA TRANG, WHEN HE DECIDED TO DEMONSTRATE TO THE PILOT A METHOD OF LOSING ALTITUDE QUICKLY BY DIVING THE AIRCRAFT TOWARD THE GROUND. HE BEGAN THE MANEUVER AT 1000 FT. AGL BY REDUCING POWER AND SLOWING THE AIRCRAFT. HE THEN PLACED THE AIRCRAFT IN A NOSE LOW ATTITUDE AND PROCEED TOWARD THE GROUND. HE STATED THAT HE DOES NOT BELIEVE HE EXCEEDED 95 KNOTS DURING THE MANEUVER. WHEN THE PILOT IN COMMAND ATTEMPTED TO RECOVER FROM THIS ATTITUDE, AT BOUT 300 FT. AGL, HE PULLED IN POWER BUT THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO RESPOND QUICKY ENOUGH. HE REMEMBERED SEEING THE ENGINE RPM PASSING THROUGH 6400 RPM BUT HE DID NOT HEAR THE RPM AUDIO NOR DID HE SEE THE LO RPM WARNING LIGHT. AT THIS POINT THE PILOT IN COMMAND STATES THAT ALL HE HAD TIME TO DO WAS LEVEL THE AIRCRAFT AND HE CONTACTED THE GROUND AT APPROXIMATELY 80 KNOTS AND WITH CONSIDERABLE DOWN WARD FORCE. AT THE TIME IF IMPACT BOTH SKIDS TORE LOOSE AND THE TAIL ROTOR CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT THEN APPARENTLY CARTWELLED FORWARD AND ONTO ITS LEFT SIDE, CAUSING THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD AND LEFT FRON DOORS TO TEAR OFF. IT THEN CONTINUED TO ROLL COMPLETELY OVER, TEARING OFF THE SKID UNDERCARRIAGE BEFORE STRIKING A GULLEY, WHICH WAS THREE TO FOUR FT. DEEP AT THE POINT OF IMPACT, AND COMING TO A HALT. THE AIRCRFT WAS THEN TOTALLY CONSUMED BY FIRE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ONE ARVN SOLDIER, ALL PERSONS IN THE REAR OF THE HELICOPTER WERE FATALLY BURNED. THE ARVN WHO ESCAPED FATAL INJURY WAS SEVERELY BURNED, AS WERE THE PILOT IN COMMAND AND THE CO PILOT. BURNING WRECKAGE ALONG THE PATH AFTER IMPACT EVIDENCED THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE STARTED TO BURN BEFORE FINAL IMPACT IN THE GULLEY.\\ 2. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ARE ADEQUATE.\\
This record was last updated on 09/20/1998
The following is crew member information for this incident:
The following is Goldbook
information on US Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 66-16009
It is provided here as an ESTIMATE of the history of this helicopter
and is not intended to be the final authority.
This helicopter was purchased by the US Army in 0267.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 196702 0 1 W0Y6AA TRAN MDMHELCO S ALASKA ALASKA 196703 10 11 W0U36P DIR MAT MAIN AB 3RD ARMY FORT BRAGG 3RD ARMY 196704 5 16 1747 ARMY AVN DIV 6TH ARMY DUGWAY PG TEVALCOM 196705 13 29 1747 ARMY AVN DIV 6TH ARMY DUGWAY PG TEVALCOM 196706 41 70 1747 USARV FLT DET VIETNAM RVN 196707 24 94 1747 USARV FLT DET VIETNAM RVN 196708 35 129 1747 BELL HCPTR BAILMENT FT WORTH AVCOM 196709 0 129 1747 BELL HCPTR BAILMENT FT WORTH AVCOM 196710 13 142 3295 BELL HCPTR BAILMENT FT WORTH AVCOM 196711 52 194 3295 355 AVN CO 4TH ARMY FORT SILL 4TH ARMY 196712 100 294 3295 355 AVN CO 4TH ARMY FORT SILL 4TH ARMY 196801 130 424 3295 355 AVN CO 4TH ARMY FORT SILL 4TH ARMY 196802 53 477 3295 355 AVN CO 4TH ARMY FORT SILL 4TH ARMY 196803 25 502 3295 355 AVN CO 4TH ARMY FORT SILL 4TH ARMY 196804 23 525 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196805 31 556 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196806 33 589 WDX6AA 235 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 196807 29 618 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196808 44 662 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196809 8 670 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196810 43 713 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196811 31 744 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196812 31 775 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196901 26 801 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196902 25 826 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196903 52 878 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196904 6 884 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196905 32 916 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196906 232 1148 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196907 86 1234 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196908 18 1252 WDU5AA 201 CORP AVN VIETNAM RVN 196909 36 1288 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 196910 103 1391 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 196911 51 1442 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 196912 74 1516 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 197001 79 1595 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 197002 28 1623 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 197003 28 1651 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 197004 92 1743 WFJFAA 281 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 197005 0 1743 WC5EAA 608 TRANS CO VIETNAM RVN
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Printed from databases on: 12/16/2016
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