AIRCRAFT MADE AN APPROACH, HEADING 030 DEGREES INTO LZ BLACK HAWK. THE LZ WAS VERY SMALL AND TERRAIN PREVENTED TOUCH DOWN. AS PASSENGERS UNLOADED FROM THE AIRCRAFT A WIND GUST HIT THE HELICOPTER AND THE TAIL MOVED LATERALLY 3 TO 4 FEET STRIKING A DEAD TREE. VIBRATION WAS NOT INCURRED. THE PILOT FLEW AIRCRAFT TO SECURE AREA AND LANDED. HE THEN INVESTIGATED THE DAMAGE AND DECIDED TO FLY THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO CHU LAI.\\
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15292
The Army purchased this helicopter 0570
Total flight hours at this point: 00001403
Date: 03/07/1972
Accident case number: 720307181 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: D/1/1 CAV
The station for this helicopter was Marble Mountain in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
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 OSBERG DF
P W1 SUTTON JE
CE E4 MARSHALL DD
G E3 TOMLINSON KM
Passengers:
UNK UNK, GM, G;
Accident Summary:
ON 7 MARCH 1972, AT 1700 HOURS, ^WO1 JAMES E. SUTTON^, CO-PILOT, PERFORMED A PRE-FLIGHT ON THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT. AT 1800 HOURS, ^OW-1 DARYL F. OSBERG^, PILOT, PERFORMED A PRE-FLIGHT ON THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT, WITH NO DISCREPANCIES FOUND IN EITHER PRE-FLIGHT. AT 2215 HOURS THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ON ITS MISSION AS NIGHT HAWK. THE MISSION WAS FLOWN AT AN ALTITUDE OF 150-200 FEET AGL AND AT 50-60 KNOTS. THE FLIGHT HAD BEEN IN PROGRESS 1:30 HOURS, WITHOUT ANY INDICATION OF ANYTHING BEING WRONG. AT 2345 THE AIRCRAFT YAWED TO THE LEFT, THE LOW RPM AUDIO AND WARNING LIGHT ACTIVATED, MOMENTARILY STOPPED, AGAIN ACTIVATED, AND THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN YAWED TO THE LEFT. WO1 SUTTON SIMULTANEOUSLY NOTED THAT THE ENGINE RPM, ROTOR RPM, AND N-1 GAS PRODUCER INDICATORS WERE RAPIDLY DECREASING. AT THIS TIME, ^SGT ALFRED^ ^C. STEWART, SR^ LIGHTMAN, BELIEVED HE HEARD TWO MUFFLED BANGS FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. ^WO1 OSBERG^ ENTERED AUTOROTATION AND ^WO1 SUTTON^ MADE A MAYDAY CALL. AT APPROXIMATELY 75' AGL ^WO1 OSBERG^ BEGAN TO DECELERATE UNTIL HE THOUGHT HE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10' ABOVE THE GROUND, BUT WAS IN FACT THE TOP OF A RAISED RAILROAD TRACK. THE SEARCHLIGHT AND LANDING LIGHT WERE NOT ON, DUE TO THE LACK OF TIME. ^WO1 OSBERG^ APPLIED CUSHIONAL PITCH WITH ZERO AIRSPEED. THE AIRCRAFT DROPPED VERTICALLY APPROXIMATELY 3-4 FEET AND SLID BACKWARDS DOWN THE EMBANKMENT APPROXIMATELY 2 FEET. AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE EMBANKMENT, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED DOWN IN A CULVERT, AND THE TAIL ROTOR AND TAILBOOM CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE WATER OUTSIDE THE CULVERT. AFTER THE IMPACT THE BATTERY, MAIN FUEL SWITCHES AND THROTTLE WERE PUT IN THE OFF POSITION. THE CREW EXITED THE AIRCRAFT UNINJURED, AND THE CHASE AIRCRAFT PICKED UP THE AIRCRAFT CREW.\\
The following is Goldbook
information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15292
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 0570.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 197005 0 0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS ITR CONUS AVCOMITR 197006 32 32 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197007 32 64 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197008 110 174 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197009 78 252 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197010 89 341 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197011 77 418 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197012 82 500 WGLEA0 A 123AVBN AMDIV VIETNAM RVN 197101 68 568 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197102 55 623 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197103 92 715 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197104 47 762 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197105 64 826 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197106 71 897 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197107 61 958 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197108 64 1022 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197109 92 1114 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197110 75 1189 WGLEA0 A 123RD AVN BN VIETNAM RVN 197111 68 1257 WGLEA0 142 TC DS VIETNAM RVN 197112 32 1289 WGLEA0 142 TC DS VIETNAM RVN 197201 51 1340 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197202 52 1392 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN 197203 11 1403 WACYD0 1 1 CAV D TRP VIETNAM RVN
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Printed from databases on: 05/31/2005
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