Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-00597
The Army purchased this helicopter 0966
Total flight hours at this point: 00002749
Date: 06/10/1971
Incident number: 71061027.KIA
Unit: 192 AHC
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: AQ785666 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PAQ785666)
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
CE SP5 ARTHUR JOHNNY KIA
G SP4 MONTOYA LOUIE GOOCH KIA
AC WO1 WATSON STEVE A RES
P 1LT GOOLSBY ROBERT E RES
War Story:
We were flying cover for a sniffer mission. I was the aircraft commander of UH-1C 66-00597 when we crashed in the jungle and the crash site was not accessible due to the fire in the immediate area and the jungle cover. The low bird (UH-1H) made a pass of the area and the crew chief Greg Shepard jumped into a tree top and started to climb down the tree when he was blown out of the tree by the rotor wash of his aircraft breaking his arm. He pulled both pilots away from the fire. Both the crew chief and gunner (Arthur and Montoya) on the UH-1C were killed. Steve A. Watson July 1997.
The aircraft started a steep descent to make an LZ recon. A slick pilot, Eugene J. Breslin, observed the aircraft from 3 to 4 miles away. He observed a bright orange flame from the area of the engine when the gunship was approximately 400 feet AGL. Copilot Robert E. Goolsby made a mayday call. The aircraft continued a steep descent and disappeared into the high canopy jungle followed by an explosion at ground impact.
An investigation of the wreckage indicated a 50 cal round went through the transmission causing its failure and subsequent crash. from crash facts sheets listing the tail number erronerously as 66-15597.
This record was last updated on 07/10/2013
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Date posted on this site: 10/25/2024
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