Helicopter UH-1H 68-16244
Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-16244
The Army purchased this helicopter 0969
Total flight hours at this point: 00000474
Date: 05/04/70
Incident number: 700504351ACD Accident case number: 700504351 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: A/101 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Camp Eagle in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 5 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
costing 622545
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 KEARSLEY TOMMY L KIA
AC 1LT MATTINGLY LARRY FRANKLIN KIA
CE SGT AHLBERG THOMAS OLIVER KIA
G SGT TAYLOR RODNEY ALAN KIA
OB SGT AITKEN DEAN L KIA
Accident Summary:
ON 4 MAY 1970, UH-1H, SN 68-16244, FROM COMPANY A, 101ST AHB, WAS
ASSIGNED FLARE STANDBY FOR NIGHT ILLUMINATION MISSIONS IN SUPPORT
OF THE 1ST INFANTRY BDE, 101ST ABN DIV (AMBL). AT APPROXIMATELY
1930 HOURS COMPANY A OPERATIONS RECEIVED A MISSION REQUEST FROM
THE S-3 AIR OF THE 1ST BDE TO PROVIDE ILLUMINATION FOR A PRACTICE
RED ALERT AT FSB KATHRYN. AT APPROXIMATELY 1955 HOURS UH-1H SN
68-16244, COMANCHERO 20, DEPARTED COMPANY A HELIPAD ENROUTE TO
FSB KATHRYN AND ARRIVED AT THAT LOCATION AT APPROXIMATELY 2020
HOURS. AT APPROXIMATELY 2030 HOURS TWO AH-1G AIRCRAFT FROM
BATTERY B, 4/77TH ARTY DEPARTED CAMP EAGLE ENROUTE TO FSB KATHRYN
FOR A PRACTICE RED ALERT. THE WING SHIP OF THE FLIGHT OF TWO
AH-1G AIRCRAFT WAS 67-15620, CALL SIGN TORO 91D. TORO 91D WAS
HAVING DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE LEAD
AIRCRAFT (CALL SIGN TORO 93) DUE TO THE FACT THAT TORO 93'S
ANTI-COLLISION LIGHT AND AFT NAVIGATION LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE.
TORO 93 INFORMED 91D THAT HE HAD HIM INSIGHT AND THAT THEY WOULD
HEAD FROM THEIR PRESENT POSITION DIRECT TO THE FLARES OVER FSB
KATHRYN AT 5500 FEET. THE FLIGHT OF TWO AH-1G AIRCRAFT ARRIVED
ON STATION AT FSB KATHRYN AT APPROXIMATELY 2045 HOURS. TORO 93
MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE FLARESHIP (COMANCHERO 20) AND
CONTACTED JULIET 3 (FORWARD OBSERVER FOR C 1/501 INF) ON THE
ARTILLERY FREQUENCY. AT THIS TIME THE FORWARD OBSERVER
INDENTIFIED THE TARGET AND REQUESTED THE ARA MAKE THE FIRING
PASSES FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. AFTER OBRAINING THE GENERAL LOCATION
OF FRIENDLY ELEMENTS IN THE VICINITY OF FSB KATHRYN, TORO 93
ELECTED TO MAKE HIS FIRING RUNS FROM EAST TO WEST TO PRECLUDE
OVERFLYING THE FRINDLY POSITIONS AND SO INFORMED JULIET 3.
DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME COMANCHERO 20 WAS IN A LEFT HAND ORBIT
AROUND FSB KATHRYN DROPING FLARES AS DIRECTED BY C 1/501ST
COMPANY COMMANDER. COMANCHERO 20 THEN REQUESTED THAT C1/501ST
COMPANY COMMANDER HAVE THE ARA AIRCRAFT COME UP ON UHF FREQUENCY
E33. AT THIS TIME THE FLARES WERE IN SOME WAY GETTING TANGLED UP
(REF CPT KOBINAR'S STATEMENT). SOON THERE AFTER COMANCHERO 20
COMPLETES DROPING THE FLARES FROM THE LEFT DOOR, HE THEN CALLED
TORO 91D AND TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS GOING INTO A RIGHT HAND ORBIT.
TORO 91D AT THIS TIME WAS FLYING THE RIGHT WING POSITION OF TORO
93. TORO 93 WAS MAKING HIS INITIAL FIRING RUN FROM EAST TO WEST
WITH HIS WING MAN FOLLOWING HIM. TORO 91D DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE
THIS TRANSMISSION. FIVE MINUTES AND FORTY-FIVE SECONDS LATER THE
GROUND ELEMENT, PLANTER 63, NOTIFIED COMANCHERO CONTROL THAT
THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY A MIDAIR COLLISION HAD OCCURRED. AT THIS
TIME THE BOARD FEELS THAT THE FOLLOWING EVENTS TOOK PLACE AFTER
CONSIDERING THE EYEWITNESS STATEMENTS: THE UH-1H WAS ENGULFED
BY FIRE APPARENTLY CAUSED BY A FLARE MALFUNCTION. AT THIS TIME
THE UH-1H STARTED A DESCENT TO THE GROUND AND IN THE PROCESS MADE
CONTACT WITH THE AH-1G. THIS CONTACT RESULTED IN THE LOSS OF THE
UH-1H'S ROTOR SYSTEM WHILE DAMAGING THE AH-1G. THE AH-1G CAUGHT
FIRE AND THE TWO AIRCRAFT SEPARATED, THE UH-1H FELL TO THE
GROUND IN FLAMES WHILE THE AH-1G PROCEEDED IN WHAT APPEARED TO BE
AN AUTOROTATIVE GLIDE AND CRASHED IN HEAVILY WOODED AND
MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. COMANCHERO CONTROL THEN LAUNCHED ANOTHER
FLARESHIP TO FSB KATHRYN AND NOTIFIED HIGHER HEADQUARTERS OF THE
POSSIBLE MIDAIR COLLISION. MAJOR PEASE, LATER TO BECOME
PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD, TRAVELLED TO THE SITE AFTER BEING
INFORMED OF THE POSSIBLE MIDAIR COLLISION, AND OBSERVED THREE
SEPERATE FIRES ON THE GROUND ONE INVOLVING THREE SECONDARY
EXPLOSIONS OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE MINUTES. THE FIRE, LATER
DETERMINED TO BE THAT OF THE UH-1H, WAS DESCRIBED BY MAJOR PEASE
AS CONTAINING GREEN FLAMES WITH THE SECONDARY EXPLOSIONS BEING
WHITE.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/98
The following is crew member information for this incident:
Name: 1LT Larry Franklin Mattingly
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/04/70 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 27.9
Date of Birth: 05/31/42
Home City: Indianapolis, IN
Service: FA branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/101 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Flight class: 69-12
Service: FA branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 11W-096
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-16244
SSN: 314421240
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 1981 = 19 Rotary Wing Aviator (Unit Commander)
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Started Tour: 06/27/69
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 07/29/95
Name: CW2 Tommy L. Kearsley
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/04/70 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 22.8
Date of Birth: 07/01/47
Home City: Buhl, ID
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/101 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Flight class: 69-7
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 11W-095
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-16244
SSN: 519548604 Service number: W3164901
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 100B = Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 05/21/69
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 07/29/95
Name: SGT Thomas Oliver Ahlberg (posthumously promoted)
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/04/70 while performing the duty of Crew Chief.
Age at death: 19.2
Date of Birth: 02/03/51
Home City: Idaho Falls, ID
Service: regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/101 AVN 101 ABN
Service: U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 11W-094
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-16244
SSN: 518668464
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 67N20 = UH-1 Helicopter Repairer
Started Tour: 11/09/69
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - non-aircrew
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
This record was last updated on 07/24/94
Name: SGT Rodney Alan Taylor (posthumously promoted)
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/04/70 while performing the duty of Gunner.
Age at death: 18.9
Date of Birth: 06/05/51
Home City: Seadrift, TX
Service: regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/101 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 11W-097
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-16244
SSN: 454865895
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 67N20 = UH-1 Helicopter Repairer
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: crew chief
Started Tour: 02/17/70
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Baptist - other groups
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: enlisted personnel
This record was last updated on 07/28/94
Name: SGT Dean L. Aitken (posthumously promoted)
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/04/70 while performing the duty of Aerial Observer.
Age at death: 20.0
Date of Birth: 04/28/50
Home City: Vernal, UT
Service: component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/101 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 11W-096
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 68-16244
SSN: 528708281
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 67A20 = Aircraft Maintenance Apprentice
Position in vehicle: door gunner
Started Tour: 02/20/70
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: *
Location: Thua Thien Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Latter Day Saints (Mormon)
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: enlisted personnel
This record was last updated on 07/29/95
The following is Goldbook
information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 68-16244
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 0969.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.