AIRCRAFT ^68-15218^ DEPARTED BEAR CAT ARMY AIRFIELD AT APPROXIMATELY 0640 HOURS ON 29 AUG 70. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING CHALK 3 IN A FLIGHT OF 5 SHIPS ASSIGNED TO INSERT RVN TROOPS NEAR TRA VINH. THE AIRCRAFT COMPLETED THE MORNING'S MISSIONS WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER DID NOTICE, HOWEVER, THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT AS POWERFUL AS IT HAD BEEN WHEN HE HAD FLOWN IT ON EARLIER OCCASIONS. AT 1415 HOURS THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF WITH 10 RVN TROOPS ON BOARD WHICH WERE TO BE INSERTED 12 MILES NORTH EAST OF TRA VINH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS CRUISING AT 85 KNOTS AND 1000 FEET WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED. ALL CREW MEMBERS REPORTED HEARING A LOUD POPPING OR EXPLOSION TYPE OF NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AREA, AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN SHUDDERING. THE CREW CHIEF ALSO REPORTED SEEING SPARKS COMING FROM THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE NOISE. ^WO1 CARTER^ THOUGHT AT FIRST HE HAD COLLIDED WITH ONE OF THE OTHER SHIPS IN THE FORMATION. IT WASN'T UNTIL HE HEARD THE LOW RPM WARNING THAT HE REALIZED THE ENGINE HAD FAILED. AT THAT TIME THE COLLECTIVE WAS DOWN BUT THE ROTOR RPM HAD DECAYED TO APPROXIMATELY 270 RPM. IN AN ATTEMPT TO REGAIN ROTOR RPM ^WO1 CARTER^ PERFORMED A SLIGHT FLAIR. THE MANEUVER WAS SUCCESSFUL IN RESTORING THE ROTOR RPM TO THE MID GREEN RANGE, HOWEVER, THE AIRCRAFT HAD DECELERATED TO 40 KNOTS. HE THEN NOSED THE AIRCRAFT OVER SLIGHTLY TO INCREASE HIS AIRSPEED BUT THAT MANEUVER ALSO INCREASED THE RATE OF DESCENT. AT 100-125 FEET HE BEGAN FLARING THE AIRCRAFT TO PERFORM A ZERO GROUND RUN TOUCHDOWN. WHEN ^WO1 CARTER^ BEGAN PULLING PITCH TO CUSHION HIS LANDING THE ROTOR RPM DECAYED RAPIDLY AND THE AIRCRAFT FELL THROUGH FROM 5-10 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH NO GROUND RUN. THE ENTIRE AREA SURROUNDING THE CRASH SITE WAS WATER SOAKED RICE PADDIES. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER CHOSE THE LARGEST AVAILABLE AREA FOR HIS TOUCHDOWN POINT AND LANDED INTO THE WIND. THE RESULTING HARD LANDING FORCED THE SKIDS INTO THE MUD UNTIL THE BELLY OF THE AIRCRAFT MADE CONTACT CAUSING STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE UNDERSIDE. THE DECELERATION FORCES CAUSED BY THE HARD LANDING CAUSED ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE TAIL BOOM.\\
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-15218
Date:
720200
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: WR275965
Original source(s)
and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: VNAF (South Vietnamese Air
Force. )
Loss to Inventory
The following is Goldbook information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number
68-15218
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 1268.
Please provide any additional information on this
helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 6812 0 0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS ITR CONUS AVCOMITR 6901 63 63 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6902 158 221 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6903 175 396 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6904 109 505 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6905 128 633 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6906 141 774 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6907 142 916 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6908 120 1036 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6909 91 1127 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6910 117 1244 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6911 151 1395 WAHBB0 COB 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 6912 69 1464 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 7001 123 1587 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 7002 100 1687 WAHBA0 COA 1STAVBN 1IN VIETNAM RVN 7003 61 1748 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7004 97 1845 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7005 83 1928 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7006 124 2052 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7007 108 2160 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7008 59 2219 WC08AA 135 AVN CO VIETNAM RVN 7009 0 2219 WCLMAA 56 TRANS CO DS VIETNAM RVN 7010 0 2219 W0Y6AA USA FLT OPN OFC 5TH ARMY ST LOUIS AMC 7011 0 2219 W2WJAA BELL HCPTR BAILMENT FT WORTH AVCOM 7012 0 2219 W2WJAA BELL HCPTR BAILMENT FT WORTH AVCOM 7101 0 2219 NAT&GUARD NAT GDZI 7102 3 2222 NAT&GUARD NAT GDZI
Please send additions or corrections to:
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