Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A tail number 66-19064
Date: 09/12/1970
Incident number: 700912141ACD Accident case number: 700912141 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/228 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Bear Cat in
Number killed in accident = 5 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 1247317
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.
Crew Members:
P WO1 KOWALSKI LEONARD J JR KIA
P MAJ LANG CHARLES VANDERBILT KIA
FE SGT NAHER STEPHEN CHARLES KIA
G CPL GENES LUTHER ALLEN KIA
CE SP4 ENMAN DEVON MARDIC KIA
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT 66-19064 LEFT SONG BE AT APPROXIMATELY 1500 HOURS WITH A SLING LOAD OF FOUR CONEXES. THE CONEXES WERE EMPTY EXCEPT FOR APPROXIMATELY 500 POUNDS OF LUMBER IN ONE OF THEM. THERE WAS NO INTERNAL LOAD. THE MISSION WAS A BACKHAUL FROM SONG BE TO BIEN HOA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN TO CONTINUE SOUTH TO BEARCAT AND SHUT DOWN FOR AN INTERMEDIATE INSPECTION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RETURNING TO HOME STATION EARLY IN THE DAY BECAUSE A REQUESTED FIVE HOUR TIME EXTENSION HAD BEEN REFUSED. AIRCRAFT 064 WAS FLYING AT AN ALTITUDE OF 3000 FEET AND WAS EAST OF PHUOC VINH WHEN HE APPARENTLY HAD DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT TRANSMITTED A MAYDAY CALL AT 1535 HOURS WHICH WAS TAPED BY PHU LOI TOWER. WITNESSES STATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED OUT OF CONTROL WITH VARYING DEGREES OF ATTITUDE AND HEADING DIFFICULTY. THE LOAD OF FOUR CONEXES WAS NEVER RELEASED. THE LOAD APPARENTLY CONTACTED THE AIRCRAFT AT LESS THAN 1000 FEET OF ALTITUDE. SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE AIRCRAFT BURST INTO FLAMES AND CONTINUED INTO THE TREES. WITNESSES ARE NOT CONSISTENT REGARDING THE ATTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AS IT ENTERED THE TREES.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
KIA statistics
Return to the KIA panel date index
Date posted on this site: 09/07/2007
Copyright © 1998 - 2007 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association