Accident Summary:
(ABRIDGED) AIRCRAFT ^69-15146^ WAS ASSIGNED AS THE FLARE SHIP OF A NIGHTHAWK TEAM ON ^16 JUNE 72^. THE LOW BIRD AND HAD ALREADY DROPPED SIX OR SEVEN WHILE FLYING AT 2500 FT. THE FLARES APPEARED TO BE IGNITING LOW AND BURNING OUT TOO CLOSE TO THE GROUND. ^LT. BECKMAN^ AND ^WO1 SUTTON^ DECIDED TO INCREASE THEIR ALTITUDE TO 3500 FT. AND SEE HOW THE FLARES WORKED. THE CREWCHIEF, ^SP4 DAVID MARSHALL,^ WAS SETTING THE FLARES AT THE LOWEST TIME SETTING POSSIBLE: 5 SECONDS FOR FLARES RELEASE AND 15 SECONDS TO FLARE IGNITION. AFTER ^SP4 MARSHALL^ SET THE FLARES, HE WOULD RELEASE ALL OF THE SAFETY PINS AND PASS THE FLARE TO THE GUNNER ^SP4 JOHN K. GRIFFIN^. ^SP4 GRIFFIN^ WAS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND WHEN A FLARE WAS PASSED TO HIM HE WOULD TAKE OFF AN EXTRA SECTION OF CABLE FROM THE FLARE. ^SP4 GRIFFIN^ WOULD THEN PLACE THE EXCESS CABLE UNDER HIS SEAT AND PASS THE FLARE TO THE OBSERVER WHO WOULD PUT IT UP AGAINST THE FLARE DISPENSER. THE OBSERVER, ^CPT MICHAEL MCCARTHY,^ WAS CONNECTING THE RELEASE CABLE TO THE ROOF OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THEN WAS DROPPING THE FLARES DOWN THE SHUTE. ABOUT ^0400 HOURS^ AIRCRAFT ^69-15146^ WAS DROPPING FLARES WHEN A FLARE THAT HAD BEEN SET WITH ALL THE SAFETIES REMOVED, WAS PLACED AGAINST THE FLARE DISPENSER TO BE DROPPED BY THE OBSERVER, THE FLARE WAS NOT NEEDED AT THAT EXACT TIME SO WAS LEFT LEANING AGAINST THE FLARE DISPENSER. THE FLARE RESTED THERE FOR ABOUT TWO MINUTES WITHOUT ANYONE TOUCHING IT. IT SUDDENLY WENT OFF SENDING THE CANISTER OUT OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE PARACHUTE OUT THE RIGHT SIDE. THE CREW SAW THIS AND THOUGHT THAT ALL PARTS OF THE FLARE HAD LEFT THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT ASKED IF EVERYONE WAS ALL RIGHT AND THEY REPLIED THAT THEY WERE. THE CREW CHIEF THEN NOTICED A PARACHUTE AROUND THE M-60 MACHINE GUN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. BEFORE HE COULD ALERT ANYONE TO THIS FACT ANOTHER EXPLOSION WAS HEARD, ACCOMPANIED WITH A BRIGHT FLASH ALONG THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION WALL. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT FIFTEEN TO TWENTY SECONDS AFTER THE FIRST OCCURRENCE. THE FIRE WAS NEAR THE OTHER FLARES AND IT APPEARED THAT THE WHOLE BOTTOM ROW OF FLARES WAS ON FIRE, SPREADING FROM THE RIGHT REAR TO THE FRONT OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE GUNNER IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS. THE AC THEN MADE A POWER ON DIVE TO THE GROUND AND NOTIFIED THE OTHER AIRCRAFT THAT HE WAS ON FIRE AND GOING DOWN. THE CREW CHIEF, GUNNER, AND OBSERVER AT FIRST TRIED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE FIRE. THE CREW CHIEF MOVED BETWEEN THE PILOTS, THE OBSERVER MOVED BEHIND THE PILOT AND THE GUNNER MOVED TO THE BACK LEFT SIDE, THEY THEN BEGAN TO THROW OUT THE FLARES. AT THIS TIME THE PILOTS WENT IFR IN THE COCKPIT. THEY COULD NOT GET ANY VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND. ^WO1 SUTTON^ BEGAN TO MONITOR THE INSTRUMENTS AND AT ABOUT 500 FEET TOOK OVER CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND BEGAN TO FLARE THE AIRCRAFT. AT 50 FEET THE AC SAID THAT HE HAD VISUAL SIGHT OF THE GROUND AND TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT ITSELF WAS ON FIRE BECAUSE OF THE MANY FLARES THAT WERE BURNING. BOTH THE PILOT AND AC WERE ON THE CONTROLS AT THE TIME OF IMPACT. THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY GROUND RUN AND THE LANDING WAS NOT HARD ENOUGH TO CAUSE ANY MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. AFTER LANDING, THE GUNNER RELEASED HIS SEAT BELT AND EXITED THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT RELEASED HIS SEAT BELT AND EXITED THROUGH THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. THE PILOT AND GUNNER THEN HELPED THE AC TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT. THE AC WAS BEING HAMPERED BY SOME SORT OF HONEYCOMB MATERIAL THAT BLOCKED HIS EXIT. THEY DID NOT KNOW WHERE THIS MATERIAL WAS FROM OR HOW IT CAME TO REST IN FRONT OF THE AC. AFTER THE AC WAS FREE ALL THREE HELPED REMOVE THE CREW CHIEF, WHO WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS UPON IMPACT. HE APPEARED TO HAVE HIT THE RADIO PANEL WITH HIS HEAD. THE FOUR OF THEM MOVED AWAY FROM THE AIRCRAFT, AT WHICH TIME THE CREW CHIEF BECAME CONSCIOUS AND WAS ABLE TO WALK. AT THIS TIME THE GUNNER TURNED AND SAW THE OBSERVER WALKING BEHIND THEM. THEY WAITED ABOUT TEN MINUTES UNTIL A MEDIVAC HELICOPTER ARRIVED AND TOOK THEM ALL TO THE ^95TH^ EVAC HOSPITAL. WHERE ^1LT BECKMAN, WO1 SUTTON AND SP4 GRIFFIN^ WERE TREATED FOR MINOR ABRASIONS AND BURNS. ^CPT MCCARTHY^ ALSO TREATED FOR SEVERE BURNS ON HIS HANDS AND BACK.\\
The following is Goldbook
information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15146
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 0270.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 197002 0 0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS ITR CONUS AVCOMITR 197003 12 12 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197004 127 139 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197005 128 267 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197006 115 382 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197007 87 469 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197008 116 585 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197009 62 647 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197010 75 722 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197011 78 800 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197012 103 903 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197101 86 989 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197102 62 1051 WBMZAA 45 MED CO VIETNAM RVN 197103 79 1130 WEAEAA 571 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197104 56 1186 WEAEAA 571 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197105 82 1268 WEAEAA 571 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197106 71 1339 WEAEAA 79 TRANS CO VIETNAM RVN 197107 35 1374 WEAEAA 571 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197108 45 1419 WEAEAA 571 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197109 58 1477 WEAEAA 54 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197110 67 1544 WEAEAA 54 MED DET VIETNAM RVN 197111 40 1584 WEAEAA 196 LT INF BDE VIETNAM RVN 197112 73 1657 WEAEAA 196 LT INF BDE VIETNAM RVN 197201 58 1715 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197202 50 1765 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197203 63 1828 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197204 99 1927 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197205 4 1931 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN
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Printed from databases on: 05/31/2005
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