The RPM bled off while hovering. The aircraft turned right. The pilot applied full left pedal but the aircraft continued to turn.
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-00666
The Army
purchased this helicopter 1166
Total flight hours at this point:
00001221
Date: 03/20/69
Unit: 135 AHC
This was a Combat incident. This
helicopter was UNK
This was a Recon mission for Armed Escort , Other
Aircraft.
While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0350 feet and
060 knots.
South Vietnam
Helicopter took 1 hits from:
Small
Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less
than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties =
01 WIA . .
The helicopter Continued Flight.
The aircraft was diverted or
delayed after completing some mission objectives.
Original source(s) and
document(s) from which the incident was created or updated:
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database.
Also: UH1P3, 07903 ()
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-00666
The Army
purchased this helicopter 1166
Total flight hours at this point:
00001805
Date: 10/25/69
Accident case number: 691025111 Total loss or
fatality Accident
Unit: 135 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Bear
Cat in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . .
Passengers = 0
costing 224415
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 FRANCIS
DA
IP O2 TUCKER GG
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT 66-666 WAS BEING USED TO ACCOMPLISH A 90 DAY STANDARDIZATION CHECK RIDE. THE AIRSTRIP BEING USED WAS PREPARED, HARD SURFACE, PENEPRIME FAC STRIP LOCATED ON THE WESTERN CORNER OF BEARCAT, RVN. THE IP BEGAN THE TRAINING PERIOD BY DEMONSTRATING AND PRACTICING FOUR BASIC AUTOROTATIONS. THESE MANEUVERS WERE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT INCIDENT. ALL FOUR AUTOROTATIONS WERE SHOT TO THE CENTER PORTION OF THE AIRSTRIP. UPON COMPLETION OF THE AUTOROTATIONS, LT TUCKER DEMONSTRATED ANTI-TORQUE FAILURES AND WO FRANCIS PRACTICED THE SAME MANEUVER. AFTER FLYING FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR, LT TUCKER DECIDED TO DEMONSTRATE ANOTHER BASIC AUTOROTATION. LT TUCKER ENTERED AUTOROTATION AT 700 FEET INDICATED, 590 AGL, 80 KNOTS AND ON AN APPROACH HEADING OF 96 DEG. HE ROLLED THE THROTTLE OFF TO THE FLIGHT IDLE POSITION. WO FRANCIS MONITORED 61 DEG N1 AND ROTOR IN THE GREEN. AFTER LOSING APPROXIMATELY 100 TO 15/ FEET OF ALTITUDE, LT TUCKER DETERMINED THAT HE WOULD BE SHORT AND DECIDED TO EXTEND HIS GLIDE. HE INCREASED HIS AIRSPEED TO 105 KNOTS AND PULLED SOME PITCH TO PLACE THE ROTOR RPM IN THE LOW GREEN 294 RPM. NEITHER PILOT MONITORED THE N1 OR EGT AT THIS TIME. AT APPROXIMATELY 150 TO 200 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, LT TUCKER DETERMINED THAT HE WOULD NOT MAKE THE STRIP AND ATTEMPTED A POWER RECOVERY BY ADDING FULL THROTTLE TO THE STOPS AND AND ADDED LEFT PEDAL FOR ANTI-TORQUE. LT TUCKER AND WO FRANCIS DID NOT FEEL THE AIRCRAFT YAW NOR FEEL OR HEAR A SURGE OF THE ENGINE. NEITHER PILOT MONITORED THE N1 OR EGT AT THIS TIME. THERE WERE NEGATIVE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE CAUTION PANEL. THE ENGINE ROTOR RPM WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,600 -250 WHICH WAS MONITORED BY LT TUCKER. IMMEDIATELY LT TUCKER DECIDED THAT THE ENGINE HAD FAILED TO INCREASE TO FULL POWER. HE THEN LOOKED FOR A LANDING AREA AND OBSERVED A LARGE DRAINAGE DITCH TO HIS LEFT FRONT AND THE BERM DIRECTLY TO HIS FRONT. LT TUCKER DECIDED TO LAND STRAIGHT AHEAD TO THE NEAR END OF THE AIRSTRIP JUST ACROSS THE BERM. AS THE AIRCRAFT NEARED THE GROUND LT TUCKER SAW THAT HE WAS GOING TO HAVE DIFFICULTY CLEARING A DITCH JUST OUTSIDE THE BERM ITSELF. AT THIS TIME HE BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT TO A 60 KNOT ATTITUDE TO CLEAR THE DITCH. AS THE AIRCRAFT CLEARED THE DITCH LT TUCKER APPLIED 3/4 OF COLLECTIVE PITCH AND LEVELED THE AIRCRAFT IN ORDER TO CLEAR THE BERM. WHILE DIRECTLY OVER THE BERM THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE AT WHICH TIME HE APPLIED ALL REMAINING PTICH. AFTER CLEARING THE BERM LT TUCKER APPLIED FULL AFT CYCLIC TO SLOW FORWARD MOVEMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AT THIS POINT BOTH PILOTS FELT THE AIRCRAFT OSCILATE DUE TO EXTREMELY LOW ROTOR RPM. THE TAIL STRUCK THE GROUND FIRST FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE AFT PORTION OF THE SKIDS. AT THIS POINT ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE FLEXED DOWN SEVERING THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT AND PENETRATING THE TOP PORTION OF THE TAIL BOOM APPROXIMATELY 8 INCHES. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ROCKED FORWARD SPREADING THE SKIDS COMPLETELY AND SLID STRAIGHT FORWARD 36 FEET STRIKING A ONE FOOT HIGH MOUND OF DIRT THAT RAN ACROSS THE ENTIRE AIRSTRIP. THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED APPROXIMATELY 8 FEET INTO THE AIR AND TRAVELED 20 FEET 7 INCHES BEFORE FALLING TO THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SLID FOR A SHORT DISTANCE STRAIGHT AHEAD AND THEN TURNED TO THE RIGHT COMING TO A FULL STOP ON A HEADING OF 162 DEG MAGNETIC. AT THIS TIME THE THROTTLE WAS STILL IN THE FULL OPEN POSITION. LT TUCKER THEN PLACED THE COLLECTIVE PITCH FULL DOWN AND SHUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN BY TURNING THE THROTTLE TO THE FULL CLOSED POSITION, PLACING THE FUEL CONTROL SWITCH TO OFF.\\
Photos of Taipan 666... click here
The following is Goldbook information on US Army helicopter UH-1B tail number
66-00666
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 1166.
Please provide any additional information on this
helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 6611 25 25 WAYTAA 69TH AVN CO 3RD ARMY FORT BRAGG 3RD ARMY 6612 23 48 WDFJAA 187 AVN CO 3RDARMY FORT BRAGG 3RD ARMY 6701 31 79 WDFJAA 187 AVN CO 3RDARMY FORT BRAGG 3RD ARMY 6702 0 79 WDFJAA 187 AVN CO 3RDARMY FORT BRAGG 3RD ARMY 6703 5 84 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6704 41 125 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6705 69 194 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6706 69 263 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6707 83 346 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6708 114 460 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6709 116 576 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6710 5 581 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6711 47 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6712 0 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6801 0 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6802 0 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6803 0 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6804 0 628 WDUTAA 187 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6805 0 628 WCKGAA 20 TRANS CO VIETNAM RVN 6806 7 635 WC5DAA 605 TRANS CO DS VIETNAM RVN 6807 1 636 WC5DAA 605 TRANS CO DS VIETNAM RVN 6808 31 667 WC5DAA 605 TRANS CO DS VIETNAM RVN 6809 37 704 WGPPAA 334 ARMD HEL CO VIETNAM RVN 6810 68 772 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6811 100 872 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6812 130 1002 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6901 50 1052 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6902 58 1110 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6903 111 1221 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6904 91 1312 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6905 98 1410 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6906 83 1493 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6907 112 1605 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6908 10 1615 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6909 111 1726 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 6910 79 1805 WCLMAA 56 TRANS CO DS VIETNAM RVN
Please send additions or corrections to:
VHPA Head Quarters or Gary Roush or Mike Law
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