Historical Data Display for Aircraft 66-16817

Model: UH-1H
Date Purchased: Sep 1967
Service with Rattlers & Firebirds: From Dec 1970 To Dec 1970
Flight Hours: Beginning 1,928 / Ending 1,942 -> Hours Flown: 14

Aircraft Accident/Incident History

Date: 24 Apr 1969
Description:
Total flight hours at this point: 1,514
Accident case number: 690424101
Unit: A/229 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Tay Ninh in
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 3700
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.

Crew Members:
AC W2 STAUB HK

Accident Summary:

Acft taking off from PZ when M/R blades struck tree icdt dam

Date: 07 Sep 1970
Description:
Total flight hours at this point: 1,904
Accident case number: 700907141
Unit: A/4 AVN 4 INF
The station for this helicopter was Pleiku in
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 298
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.

Crew Members:
P O5 SHELBY JL
CP O2 JIMENEZ M
CE E3 PERSON JW
G E6 GROSSWHITE WR

Accident Summary:

Tail rotor struck a stump in LZ.

Date: 03 Jan 1971
Description:
Total flight hours at this point: 1,951
Accident case number: 710103061
Unit: 71 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Chu Lai in
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 108954
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.

Crew Members:
AC W1 WASSON TP
P W1 BEDFORD DJ
CE E4 HARTLEY CE

Accident Summary:

On 3 January 1971 about 1500 hours the pilot of aircraft 66-16817 took off from LZ West with a load of resupply for the Y63 element who were located at at 848263. The aircraft commander, Rattler 15, conteacted the Y63 elelment and called inbound and asked for smoke. Y63 element popped smoke and the aircraft commander confirmed it. The pilot flying made a high overhead into the LZ and made a good approach terminating at a hover. The LZ was a pinnacle type with elephant grass and was on a slope. Because of the wind direction and shape of the LZ the aircraft was headed into the slope upon termination. After the crew cleared the aircraft down and the toes of the skids touched down, the pilot lowered the collective rapidly causing the aircraft to rock back. The tail stinger hit the ground and bounced the aircraft up into a nose low altitude. The pilot tried to regain control of the aircraft and caused it to yaw to the right by pulling in power and not correcting for torque with pedals. The aircraft commander assumed that he had a tail rotor failure and initiated a hovering autorotation by rolling off the throttle while the aircraft was in a nose low altitude and was yawing to the right. The aircraft struck the ground causing damage to the nose and skids. The aircraft commander then shut down and he and the crew checked the entire aircraft for damage other than that to the nose and skids. After full inspection of the aircraft the aircraft commander decided that the aircraft was airworthy for a one time flight to Chu Lai. While enroute the aircraft commander decided to shut down at Hawk Hill where he called for maintenance. Maintenance looked the aircraft over, and a technical inspector decided it was airworthy and maintenance flew it back to Chu Lai. There were no injuries to the crew members and they all were wearing nomex suits in addition to other required protective gear.

Aircraft Assignment History