Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-16530
The Army purchased this helicopter 1269
Total flight hours at this point: 00000367
Date: 04/19/1970
Incident number: 700419151ACD Accident case number: 700419151 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 135 AHC
The station for this helicopter was Bear Cat in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 1 . . Passengers = 0
costing 310145
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 WO1 STILLIONS RONALD BRUCE KIA
IP O2 RM MUELLER
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT 68-16530 DEPARTED THE 135TH RAMP AREA AT APPROXIMATELY 1335 19 APRIL 1970, WITH THE CREW LISTED ABOVE. THE MISSION WAS TRAINING IN THAT 1LT MUELLER WAS ADMINISTERING A 90 DAY STANDARDIZATION CHECK RIDE AND AC RIDE TO WO1 STILLIONS. THE FLIGHT PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL AT APPROXIMATELY 1435 HOURS WHEN A HYDRAULICS OFF LANDING WAS TO BE PERFORMED. THE AREA FOR THE CHECK RIDE WAS THE FAC STRIP INSIDE THE BEARCAT COMPOUND (SEE MAP, TAB 10). ON FINAL APPROACH FOR THE STRIP AT APPROXIMATELY 100-200 FEET ALTITUDE AND 60 KNOTS, 1LT MUELLER INFORMED WO1 STILLIONS THAT HE WAS GOING TO CUT OFF THE HYDRAULICS. SHORTLY AFTER TURNING OFF THE HYDRALICS SWITCH AND RESETTING THE MASTER CAUTION THE RIGHT FUEL BOOST PUMP LIGHT CAME ON AT WHICH TIME THE IP RESET THE MASTER CAUTION, CHECKED THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS AND LOOKED BACK TO FIND THE ROTOR AT APPROXIMATELY 270 RPM. THE IP TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT AND BEFORE HE COULD ACCOMPLISH A DECELERATION MADE CONTACT (SEE PHOTO #1) WITH THE SMALL TREES AND THEN THE GROUND. THE AIRCRAFT HIT RELATIVELY LEVEL, BOUNCED AND THE LEFT FRONT SKID HUNG ON A TREE STUMP, (SEE PHOTO #2) CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROTATE 215 IN A COUNTER-CLOCKWISE DIRECTION BEFORE CONTACTING THE GROUND FOR THE SECOND AND FINAL TIME. THE AIRCRAFT BURST INTO FLAMES ON GROUND CONTACT HOWEVER THE IP, IN THE RIGHT SEAT WAS ABLE TO ESCAPE WITH MINOR BURNS AND INJURIES. THE PILOTS SEAT (LEFT SEAT) BROKE LOOSE FROM THE RAILS (SEE PHOTO #3 & 6) WHEN THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE SECOND TIME AND THE PILOT WAS THROWN REARWARD INTO THE FUEL. THERE IS SOME CONFUSION AS TO HOW OR WHO PULLED THE PILOT FROM THE WRECKAGE HOWEVER HE WAS OUT OF THE BURNING WRECKAGE BEFORE IT WAS ENTIRELY CONSUMED, BY FLAMES. HIS BURNS WERE EXTENSIVE AND RESULTED IN DEATH OF WO1 STILLIONS. THE IP AND P ALONG WITH ONE OF THE PASSERS-BY WERE EVACUATED TO THE 93RD EVACUATION HOSPITAL SHORTLY AFTER THE ACCIDENT BY AN AIRCRAFT THAT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF THE CRASH SITE. NO MAY DAY CALL WAS GIVEN BECAUSE OF THE SHORT TIME SPAN OF THE EMERGENCY AND ENSUEING CRASH.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 10/25/2024
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