61st Assault Helicopter Company
Lucky Star · Starblazers · Vietnam 1967–1972
The aircraft was the fifth ship of a five-ship combat assault. CW2 Waugh's aircraft was in a revetment heading about 160 degrees. He picked the ship up to a hover, moved out of the revetment, made a left turn, moved his aircraft around and behind the revetment and set it down facing west and into the wind. He waited for the other ships to depart and began his take off. Just after lift off, and at an altitude of four to ten feet, the anti-torque pedals lost their responsiveness. The aircraft spun violently to the right, with the nose striking the ground. CW2 Waugh rolled off the throttle and lowered pitch, stopping the spin and landing the aircraft, which was then completely shut off and exited by the crew. No injury occurred to either the crew or the seven soldiers being carried
This record was last updated on 04/16/97
Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16252
Date:
11/14/68
Incident number: 681114241ACD Accident case number: 681114241 Total
loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 199 BDE
The station for this helicopter
was Long Binh in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 0
. . Passengers = 0
costing 199262
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:
P CW2 PLUMMER
CHARLES DEAN KIA
OB SP6 FOLMAR MASON OPHELIA KIA
Accident Summary:
AN ^OH-6A, SN 67-16252^, DEPARTED ^RED CATCHER HELIPORT^ AT ^2010^ HOURS, ^14 NOV 68^, WITH TWO PASSENGERS. THE MISSION WAS ADMINISTRATIVE. THE PILOT, ^CW2 PLUMMER^, WAS INSTRUCTED TO DROP OFF THE TWO PASSENGERS AT THE ^199TH LT INF BDE^ FORWARD CP, LOCATED ^SOUTHWEST OF SAIGON^ AT COORDINATES ^XS711 871^, AND RETURN. ^SP6 FOLMAR^ WENT ALONG AS OBSERVER AND OCCUPIED THE LEFT SEAT. THE OH-6A DEPARTED THE ^199TH FORWARD CP^ AT ^2040^ HOURS AFTER DISCHARGING ITS TWO PASSENGERS. ABOUT ^2108^ HOURS, ^14 NOVEMBER 1968, CW2 PLUMMER^ CALLED ^PLANTATION TOWER^ FOR LANDING INSTRUCTIONS AT ^RED CATCHER^ GIVING IT'S POSITION AS ^REPORTING POINT ALPHA^. THE TOWER OPERATOR, ^SP4 DAVID L. RIZOR^, GLANCED UP FROM FILLING OUT HIS TRAFFIC LOG AND LOOKED TOWARD ^RP ALPHA^. HE SAW A SINGLE RED LIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF ^RP ALPHS^, ASSUMED THAT IT BELONGED TO ^RED CATCHER 252^ AND GAVE INSTRUCTIONS TO LAND 05 AND REPORT 1/2 MILE FINAL. HE THEN RETURNED HIS ATTENTION TO HIS LOG. ^RED CATCHER 252^ ROGERED THE INSTRUCTIONS. WITHIN SECONDS AFTER THIS RADIO TRANSMISSION, ^RED CATCHER 252^ STRUCK ^CHECKMATE CHARLIE CHARLIE, A UH-1D^ FROM BELOW. THE ^OH-6A'S^ ROTOR HEAD CONTACTED THE PIERCED STEEL STEP SUPPORT AND THE ROTOR BLADES STRUCK THE LEFT SKID, LEFT CARGO DOOR, AND BELLY OF THE ^UH-1D^. THE TAIL OF THE ^OH-6A^ WAS THROWN VIOLENTLY UPWARD AS THE BLADES AND TRANSMISSION DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT. THE STABILIZER ASSEMBLY AND TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE ^UH-1D^ FUSELAGE AND MACHINE GUN MOUNT ON THE RIGHT REAR. THE TAIL BOOM OF THE ^OH-6A^ WAS BROKEN AT A POINT JUST FORWARD OF THE 90 DEG GEAR BOX AND JUST AFT OF THE FUSELAGE ATTACHMENT POINT. THE FUSELAGE FELL TO THE GROUND ALONG ITS ORIGINAL FLIGHT PATH EXPLODING INTO FLAME ON CONTACT. THE BODY OF THE PILOT WAS THROWN FORWARD FROM THE WRECKAGE FOR A DISTANCE OF 6 FEET. THE OBSERVER REMAINED IN THE WRECKAGE. THE ^UH-1D, SN 64-13753^, DEPARTED THE ^SPARTAN HELIPAD^, COORDINATES ^YT 000 120^ AT ^2104^ HOURS ENROUTE TO ^PLANTATION AIRFIELD^. THE MISSION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS TO FLY ^COMMAND AND CONTROL OVER THE BIEN HOA^ AREA. THE AC, ^MAJOR LASCH^, PLANNED A LANDING AT ^PLANTATION^ TO PICK UP AN ARTILLERY OBSERVER PRIOR TO ASSUMING THE ROLE OF C AND C FOR ^BIEN HOA TAC^. THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED THE ^SPARTAN PAD^ WITH ^CW2 BUSWELL^ AT THE CONTROLS AND UNDER THE CONTROL OF ^SPARTAN TOWER^, FLEW SOUTHEAST ON A HEADING OF 150 DEGREES CLIMBING TO AN ALTITUDE OF 450 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT CALLED CHECKPOINT ^SHELL REFINERY^ AND BEGAN TO TURN TO THE EAST THAT CARRIED THE AIRCRAFT OVER THE NORTHWEST EDGE OF A LOOP OF THE ^DONG NAI RIVER^ CALLED ^SONG CAI^. ^CW2 BUSWELL^ CONTINUED ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES AND TOWARD A ROAD INTERSECTION AT COORDINATES ^YT 047 105^. AT ^2108^ HOURS, THE AIRCRAFT ROSE ABRUPTLY, STILL IN LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG FROM THE UNDERSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT AND SIMULTANEOUSLY SAW A RED FLASH. THE AC, ^MAJOR LASCH^, THOUGHT THE SHIP HAD BEEN HIT BY GROUND FIRE. HE HAD BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH ^OLD WARRIOR 3 ZULU, 145TH BOC^, AT THAT MOMENT AND PROMPTLY REPORTED THAT HIS AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN HIT BY GROUND FIRE OF AN UNIDENTIFIED TYPE. THE GUNNER ON THE LEFT SIDE REPORTED FUEL LEAKAGE AND BECAUSE OF THE RED FLASH HE HAD SEEN EARLIER ASSUMED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON FIRE. IT WAS NOT. ^MAJOR LASCH^ ASSUMED CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND BEGAN AN APPROACH TO ^PLANTATION^ AIRFIELD. HE DID NOT CONTACT ^PLANTATION AIRFIELD^ BY RADIO BECAUSE HE WAS NOT AWARE OF THE NEW OPERATING HOURS AND ASSUMED THAT THE AIRFIELD TOWER WAS NOT ON THE AIR AFTER 2100 HOURS. IT WAS NOT UNTIL TOUCHDOWN THAT HE OR ANY OF HIS CREW WERE AWARE THAT THE LANDING SKIDS WERE MISSING FROM HIS AIRCRAFT. ^MAJOR LASCH^ STARTED ENGINE SHUTDOWN AND ORDERED HIS CREW TO LEAVE THE AIRCRAFT. NO FIRE DEVELOPED AND NO FURTHER DAMAGE OCCURRED AS THE RESULT OF THE LANDING.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/98
The following is crew member information for this incident:
The following is Goldbook information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number
67-16252
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 .
Please provide any additional information on this
helicopter to the VHPA.
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY 6807 0 0 WAYPAA 61 AHC VIETNAM 6811 0 0 WFBDAA 199 BDE VIETNAM VS
Please send additions or corrections to:
VHPA Head Quarters or Gary Roush or Mike Law
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