Accident Summary:
ON 30 JUNE 1970, AT APPROXIMATELY 0930 HRS UH-1H 68-16099 WAS SCRAMBLED FOR THE EXTRACTION OF OSCAR TEAM, N CO. 75TH RANGER BATTALION, WHO WAS IN CONTACT AT THAT TIME. THE CREW CONSISTED OF CPT JAMES C. JEFFRYES, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER, CW2 KIRT A. BUTLER THE PILOT, SP4 EDWARD L. LIPTRAP, THE CREWCHIEF, AND SP5 ZUPANCIC, THE GUNNER. UPON ARRIVAL OF THE AIRCRAFT AT OSCAR TEM LOCATION, THE CO OF N CO RANGERS INFORMED THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER THAT LADDERS WOULD BE NEEDED FOR THE EXTRACTION OF THAT PARTICULAR TEAM THEREFORE 099, WHO WAS NOT THUS EQUIPPED, WAS DEVERTED TO PICK UP KILO TEAM WHO WAS ABOUT 1000 METERS AWAY IN A HOVER LANDING ZONE. THE LZ WAS ON THE EAST SIDE OF A RIDGELINE THAT RAN NORTH AND SOUTH AND WAS APPROXIMATELY ONE NAUTICAL MILE SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LZ STINGER AT COORDINATES RS 793062. THE WINDS WERE ABOUT 090 DEGREES AT 10-15 KNOTS. THE APPROACH WAS MADE FROM WEST TO EAST OVER THE RIDGELINE WITH T DOGLEG TO THE RIGHT ON THE LAST 1/8 MILE. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER BROUGHT THE AIRCRAFT TO A HOVER IN THE LZ WITH THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT POINTED WOUTH AND THE SHIP PARALLEL TO THE RIDGELINE. THE LZ HAD NUMEROUS SHRUBS, WAS SURROUNDED TO THE SOUTHWEST AND NORTH WITH TREES AND THE ANGLE OF THE HILL WAS FROM 30 TO 45 DEGREES, THEREFORE THE AIRCRAFT COULD NOT BE SET DOWN IN THE LZ. FOUR OF THE FIVE MAN RANGER TEAM APPROACHED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT ON THE HIGH GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT HOVERED SOME THREE TO SIX FEET OVER THE MAN WITH A DIRECT CROSSWIND BLOWING UP THE HILL. THE FIFTH MAN APPROACHED THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE ELFT SIDE. AFTER THE FIVE RUCKSACKS AND THE FOUR RANGERS ON THE RIGHT HAD BOARDED THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO BLEED RPM AND SETTLE INTO THE TREES AND GROUND. THE RPM BLED TO 5700 WITH 42 POUNDS TORQUE AND 97%. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE TREES ON THE RIGHT AND THE TAIL ROTOR HIT THE GROUND AND SOME SMALL SHRUBS. AS SOON AS THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SETTLE THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER MADE A SHALLOW DIVE TO THE LEFT TO LOWER THE TORQUE AND INCREASE THE RPM. AT THE SAME TIME THE DOOR GUNNER INFORMED THE PILOTS THAT ONE MAN HAD BEEN LEFT IN THE LZ AND THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER MADE A SECOND APPROACH INTO THE LZ AFTER CHECKING TO MAKE SURE HE HAD SUFFICIENT PEDAL CONTROL. THE SECOND TIME THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH THE NOSE INTO THE HILL AND TAIL INTO THE WIND AND WHILE RETRIEVING THE LAST MAN THE AIRCRAFT AGIN BLED RPM BUT THE AIRCRAFT BROKE AWAY FROM THE HILL BEFORE FURTHER DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO LZ ENGLISH TO ASSES THE DAMAGE BECAUSE THERE WAS PRONOUNCED HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION IN THE PEDALS. UPON SHUT DOWN AT LZ ENGLISH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS FOUND ON THE MAIN ROTOR AND TAIL ROTOR BLADES. FURTHER BREAKDOWN BY THE MAINTENANCE OFFICER AND TECHNICAL INSPECTORS EVENTUALLY REQUIRED THE REPLACEMENT OF 4 SECTIONS OF TAIL ROTOR DRIVE TUBE, ONE 42 DEGREE BEARBOX, ONE 90 DEGREE GEARBOX, THREE T/R DRIVE COUPLINGS AND ONE TAIL ROTOR HUB. DUE TO THE DAMAGE TO THE M/R BLADES BEING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BLADE AND NOT ON THE TOP OR LEADING EDGE IT WAS DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY DESCENDING ONTO THE TREES RATHER THAN HOVERING INTO THEM. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT THE AIRCRAFT ENGINE WAS RATED AT LESS THAN 96.3 N1 PERCENT UNDER THE EXISTING CONDITIONS. THIS LED TO THE BELIEF THAT THE REASON THAT THE AIRCRAFT BLED RPM AND SUBSEQUENTLY SETTLED INTO THE TREES WAS THAT MORE POWER WAS BEING DAMANDED THAN WAS AVAILABLE BY THE ENGINE. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THE MISHAP WAS THE LOSS OF GROUND EFFECT DUE TO THE SLOPE AND A 90 DEGREE CROSSWIND. LATER INFORMATION SHOWED THAT THE KILO TEAM HAD NOT BEEN IN CONTACT HOWEVER HAD BEEN GIVEN LITTLE TIME TO SELECT AN LZ. THIS PARTICULAR LANDING ZONE WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN USED TO DROP A TEAM OFF ONE TIME BEFORE AND WAS THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE. HAD MORE TIME BEEN GIVEN THE TEAM COULD HAVE MOVED TO A MORE SUITABLE PICKUP ZONE THAT WAS AVAILABLE.\\
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-16099
The Army purchased this helicopter 0769
Total flight hours at this point: 00000813
Date: 07/31/70
Accident case number: 700731031 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 173 ABN
The station for this helicopter was Bong Son in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 3 . . Passengers = 2
costing 244345
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:
AC W1 HOROWITZ GE
P W1 NEAL GR
G E4 SHOLETT DP
Passengers:
LC LOCAL, LCO, G;
E4 T MONAHAN, PAX, D;
Accident Summary:
THE MISSION OF AIRCRAFT NUMBER ^68-16099^ ON 31 JULY, 1970 WAS DIRECT COMBAT SUPPORT FOR "C" COMPANY RANGERS, ^75TH INFANTRY, 173D ABN. BDE.^ THE ORIGINAL TAKE OFF TIME WAS 10:00 HOURS BUT WAS MOVED UP TO 08:00 HOURS ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT. THE MISSION WAS TO RESUPPLY A PATROL TEAM THAT WAS IN THE FIELD AT COORDINATES 935-965. THIS LOCATION WAS APPROXIMATELY FOUR (4) NAUTICAL MILES SOUTHEAST OF L.Z. ENGLISH. AT APPROXIMATELY 07:55 ON THE MORNING OF THE ACCIDENT THE FOUR PASSENGERS AND EQUIPMENT ARRIVED. THE EQUIPMENT CONSISTED OF SIX (6) WATER CONTAINERS, TWO (2) CASES OF LONG RANGE PATROL RATIONS, AND ONE (1) PRC-25 RADIO. BECAUSE THE PATROL TEAM WAS IN AN INSECURE AREA AND DID NOT WANT TO GIVE AWAY THEIR POSITION BY POPPING SMOKE, A FIXED WING AIRCRAFT WAS TO BE UTILIZED TO VECTOR THE SUPPLY HELICOPTER INTO THE INTENDED DROPOFFAREA. THE SUPPLY HELICOPTER DEPARTED THE RAMP AT APPROXIMATELY 08:00 HOURS. UPON DEPARTURE ^MR HOROWITX^ (THE PILOT IN CHARGE OF THE HELICOPTER NUMBER ^68-16099^ MADE RADIO CONTACT WITH THE FIXED WING AIRCRAFT WHO WAS CIRCLING ABOVE THE INTENDED DROPOFF AREA. ^MR. HOROWITZ^ WAS THEN GIVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW THE RIDGE LINE TOWARD THE WEST UNTIL HE REACHED A FINGER THAT POINTED TOWARD THE NORTH. HE WAS THEN SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW THE FINGER TOWARD THE NORTH AND ABOUT SEVENTY-FIVE METERA DOWN THIS FINGER HE WOULD SEE THE PATROL TEAM. THE PATROL TEAM WAS GOING TO MARK THEIR LOCATION WITH A LARGE ORANGE PANEL. AFTER SPOTTING THE LOCATION OF THE PATROL TEAM ON THE GROUND, THE PILOT IN CHARGE MAD A WIDE CIRCLING TURN TOWARD THE RIGHT AND SET UP THE HELICOPTER FOR AN APPROACH FROM THE SAME DIRECTION THAT HE HAD COME IN BEFORE (APPROXIMATELY 330 DEGRESS). THIS APPROACH PATTERN PLACED THE TAIL OF THE AIRCRAFT IN A UPHILL DIRECTION. THE ANGLE OF THE SLOPE AT THE PLACE WHERE THE ACCIDENT OCCURED WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY DEGREES. AS THE HELICOPTER CAME TO A HOVER OVE THE INTENDED AREA, THE NOSE OF THE HELICOPTER WAS APPROXIMATELY TWENTY FEET ABOVE THE TREES. THE TAIL OF THE HELICOPTER, HOWEVER, WAS VERY CLOSE TO THE TREETOPS. THIS WAS BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF THE ANGLE OF THE SLOPE. THE CREWCHIEF 'SP/4 LIPSTRAP^ AND THE GUNNER ^SP/4 SHOLETT^ SAW HOW CLOSE THE TAIL ROTOR WAS TO THE TREETOPS AND ADVISED THE PILOT TO BRING THE HELICOPTER UP. AS THE PILOT IN CHARGE ^MR. HOROWITX^ ATTEMPTED TO BRING THE HELICOPTER UP AND TURN IT ACROSS THE SLOPE THE TAIL ROTOR OF THE HELICOPTER HIT A TREE. THE HELICOPTER THEN BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT AND SETTLE INTO THE TREES. THE AIRCRAFT MADE AT LEAST TWO 360 DEGREE TURNS TOWARD THE RIGHT AND LANDED, FACING TOWARD THE WEST, ON ITS RIGHT HADN SIDE. ALL OF THE OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRCRAFT THEN IMMEDIATELY EXITED AND MOVED AWAY FROM THE AREA. APPROXIMATELY THREE MINUTES LATER THE HELICPTER BURST INTO FLAMES.\\
The following is Goldbook
information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-16099
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 0769.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 6907 0 0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS ITR CONUS AVCOMITR 6908 0 0 3300 HHD 44 ENG GP THAILAND PACIFIC 6909 119 119 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 6910 124 243 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 6911 0 243 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 6912 126 369 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7001 60 429 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7002 64 493 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7003 53 546 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7004 74 620 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7005 84 704 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7006 71 775 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN 7007 38 813 WARJAA HQ 173AIRBN BDE VIETNAM RVN
Please send additions or corrections to:
Gary Roush
43 Overbrook Road
Painted Post, NY 14870
Printed from databases on: 01/24/02
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