Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail
number 69-15618
The Army purchased this helicopter 0870
Total flight hours
at this point: 00001879
Date: 12/21/72
Accident case number: 721221031
Unit: 57 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Camp Holloway in
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
costing
62916
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation
Safety Center database.
Crew Members:
AC W1 KUPCHO TG
P O2 BAXTER
WS
CE E5 THOMPSON CD
G E4 DARNEY B
Passengers:
UNK UNK, LCO,
G; O6 RH FORMAN, PAX, G;
Accident Summary:
DESCRIPTION OF MISHAP: ON ^21 DEC 72^, ^WO1 THOMAS G. KUPCHO^, AIRCRAFT
COMMANDER, ^1LT WILLIAM S. BAXTER^, PILOT, ^SP5 CHARLES D. THOMPSON^, CREW
CHIEF, AND ^SP4 BRUCE DARNY^ WERE ASSIGNED AS THE CREW OF MISSION P-4 FOR THE
^57TH AHC, 17 CAG^. THE CREW ARRIVED ON THE FLIGHT LINE AT VARYING TIMES BETWEEN
^0550^ AND ^0610^ TO BEGIN THE PREFLIGHT. UPON HIS ARRIVAL ON THE FLIGHT LINE
^WO1 KUPCHO^ WAS ISSUED THE MISSION SHEET FOR PO4 BY ^57TH OPERATIONS^. THE
MISSIONS CONSISTED OF SEVERAL PICK-UPS AND /OR DROP-OFFS OF PERSONNEL AT VARIOUS
LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT ^PLEIKU^ PROVINCE. PREFLIGHT WAS COMPLETED ABOUT ^0645^,
AND THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF AT ^0650^ ENROUTE TO THE ^II CORPS^ UPPER HELIPAD.
PASSENGER PICK-UP WAS ACCOMPLISHED, AND THE MISSION DEPARTED FOR ^THAN AN AT
0705^. THESE PAX WERE DROPPED OFF AT ABOUT ^0720^, AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FOR
A PICK-UP AT COORDINATES ^YA 915274^ (THE ACCIDENT SITE). RADIO CONTACT WITH THE
^LZ^ REVEALED, HOWEVER, THAT THE PAX WAS NOT READY FOR PICK-UP AND THE APPROACH
WAS ABORTED. THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO ^PLEIKU^ AND LANDED AT THE ^II CORPS^
UPPER PAD AND DISCHARGED ITS PAX. THE AIRCRAFT THEN RETURNED TO ^CAMP HOLLOWAY^,
REFUELED, AND STOOD-BY FOR A ^0830^ PICK-UP AT ^II CORPS UPPER^. AT ^0825^ THE
AIRCRAFT DEPARTED ^CAMP HOLLOWAY^ ON ITS SECOND MISSION. AT ^0830^ SEVERAL PAX
WERE PICKED-UP AT THE ^II CORPS^ UPPER PAD, AND THE AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FOR ^BAN
ME THUOT^. DROP-OFF OF THE PAX WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT ^BAN ME THOUT^ AT ^0930^, AND
SOME CARGO WAS TAKEN ON BOARD TO BE DELIVERED TO ^II CORPS^ UPPER. THIS DELIVERY
WAS ACCOMPLISHED AT ^1025^ AND THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO ^CAMP HOLLOWAY^ AT
^1030^ FOR REFUELING AND SHUTDOWN. HOWEVER, ^57TH OPERATIONS^ CONTACTED ^WO1
KUPCHO^ BY RADIO AND TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS TO PERFORM AN UNSCHEDULED MISSION.
THIS MISSION CONSISTED OF A PAX PICK-UP AT ^II CORPS^ UPPER PAD AT ^1040^ AND TO
FLY AS DIRECTED. REFUELING WAS EXPEDITED AND THE AIRCRAFT AGAIN DEPARTED ^CAMP
HOLLOWAY^. THE PICK-UP WAS MADE, AND THE PAX, ^COL FORMAN^, DIRECTED ^WO1
KUPCHO^ TO FLY TO THE NEWLY OPENED FIREBASE AT YA ^915274^ SO THAT HE COULD
VISIT. UPON ARRIVING OVER THE FIREBASE, ^WO1 KUPCHO^ CONTACTED THE AMERICAN
ADVISOR ON THE GROUND WHO SAID THAT HE HAD MARKED THE ^LZ^ WITH A PANEL, AND
THAT HE WOULD ACT AS GROUND GUIDE. ^WO1 KUPCHO^ MADE A HIGH RECON OF THE AREA
DURING WHICH HE LOST APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET OF ALTITUDE. HE THEN BEGAN HIS
APPROACH INTO THE ^LZ^ BY HEADING 180 DEGREES AT AN AIRSPEED OF 110 KNOTS AND A
RATE OF DESCENT SLIGHTLY IN EXCESS OF 3500 FT PER MINUTE. NEARING THE GROUND,
^WO1 KUPCHO^ MADE A 180 DEGREE LEFT TURN BACK TO A HEADING OF 360 DEGREES. AT
THIS POINT, HE WAS LOW LEVEL ALONG A SMALL DIRT ROAD INTO THE FIREBASE. IT WAS
THIS ROAD WHICH WAS TO BE THE ^LZ^. ^WO1 KUPCHO^ LOW LEVELED ALONG THIS ROAD FOR
APPROXIMATELY 200 METERS, DURING WHICH TIME HE WAS DECELERATING. ARRIVING AT THE
INTENDED POINT OF TOUCHDOWN, ^WO1 KUPCHO^ TERMINATED HIS APPROACH AT A HIGH
HOVER DUE TO NUMEROUS OBSTACLES IN THE AREA. JUST AS HE WAS MOVING THE AIRCRAFT
FORWARD SEVERAL FEET TO A BETTER TOUCHDOWN AREA, THE TAILROTOR CONTACTED
CONCERTINA WIRE CAUSING A TAILROTOR FAILURE. THE AIRCRAFT YAWED VIOLENTLY TO THE
RIGHT. ^WO1 KUPCHO^ IMMEDIATELY ROLLED OFF THE THROTTLE AND BOTTOMED THE
COLLECTIVE. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED WITH THE GROUND WHILE TURNING THE CLOCKWISE
DIRECTION AND IN A TAIL LOW CONFIGURATION. AT IMPACT, ^COL FORMAN^, THE
PASSENGER, WAS THROWN OUT THE LEFT HAND CARGO DOOR DUE TO THE FACT THAT HE HAD
REMOVED HIS SEAT BELT AND GOTTEN FROM HIS SEAT AS THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A HOVER.
UPON CONTACTING THE GROUND, THE CREW MADE A DISTRESS CALL AND THEN SHUT THE
AIRCRAFT DOWN. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS ANOTHER AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE ^LZ^ AND
EXTRACTED ALL OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRCRAFT. ELEVATION OF THE CRASH SITE IS 1361
FEET, DENSITY ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH WAS 3040 FEET, AND THE WINDS
WERE LIGHT AND VARIABLE.
The following is Goldbook information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number
69-15618
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 0870.
Please provide any additional information on this
helicopter to the VHPA.
Tabular Data unavailable on mobile device
DATE FLT HRS UIC UNIT AREA POST COUNTRY
7008 0 0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS ITR CONUS AVCOMITR
7009 9 9 WAX6AA 92 ASLT HEL CO VIETNAM RVN
7010 61 70 WFAJAA HHC 10 AVN BN VIETNAM RVN
7011 53 123 WFAJAA HHC 10 AVN BN VIETNAM RVN
7012 65 188 WFAJAA HHC 10 AVN BN VIETNAM RVN
7101 96 284 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7102 101 385 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7103 82 467 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7104 71 538 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7105 55 593 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7106 70 663 WFAJAA 10 CAB HHC VIETNAM RVN
7107 108 771 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7108 93 864 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7109 60 924 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7110 52 976 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7111 62 1038 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7112 0 1038 WAX6AA 92 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7201 37 1075 WC68AA 3 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7202 131 1206 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7203 94 1300 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7204 78 1378 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7205 70 1448 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7206 79 1527 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7207 77 1604 WC68AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7208 41 1645 WAX5AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7209 49 1694 WAX5AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7210 74 1768 WAX5AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7211 62 1830 WAX5AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7212 49 1879 WAX5AA 57 AHC VIETNAM RVN
7301 0 1879 W0Y6AA ARADMAC IN MAINT NAVAL AIR STN AVSCOM
Printed from databases on: 08/27/00
