1968 – June 25, mid-air collision, three US Army helicopters, ~Bearcat, S. Vietnam–29/US 12

–12 (US) of 31 AP. “Five Helicopter Crashes…Saigon Kill 38. Rhinelander Daily News, WI 6-25-1968, p.6.
–12 (US) of 29 Gero. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. 1999, p. 99.

— 4 US Army Bell UH-1D Iroquois (66-16601). ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 167487

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network:
“Date: 25-Jun-1968
“Type: Bell UH-1D Iroquois
“Owner/operator: United States Army Aviation
“Registration: 66-166601
“MSN: 8795
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
“Other fatalities: 25
….
“Location: Bien Hoa, SVN – Vietnam
….
“Nature Military
….
“Narrative: Midair collision in formation with Bell UH-Ds 66-16206 (12 killed) and 66-16592 (13 killed). All 4 on board this helicopter killed.”

Gero:
“Date: 25 June 1968 (c.07:30)
“Location: Near Bearcat, South Vietnam

“First aircraft
“Operator: US Army
“Type: Bell UH-1H (66-16206)

“Second aircraft
“Operator: US Army
“Type: Bell UH-1H (66-16592)

“Third aircraft
“Operator: US Army
“Type: Bell UH-1H (66-16601)

“This triple crash occurred 15 miles (25km) southeast of Saigon and in conditions of restricted visibility, with clouds obscuring nearly half of the sky as well as fog and haze. Two of the three turbine-engine rotorcraft involved were among 10 helicopters engaged in a combat assault mission. A total of 29 service personnel lost their lives in the accident, including four US Army crewmen assigned to each aircraft; the passengers were troops belonging to the Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment. There were no survivors.

“With the group having descended to 900ft (275m), where the weather was better, and turned on to a heading of 60 degrees, the flight leader had just entered and then emerged from a cloud when he observed an unidentified helicopter approaching from his immediate right and at the same altitude. The latter was later identified as 16601, the command and control aircraft, which had hone ahead of the group for a weather check. The leader successfully initiated an evasive maneuver, breaking down and to the left, but in pulling up and to the left, 16601 collided with 16592, with the latter’s main rotor blades severing the former’s tail rotor/boom section. The other rotorcraft in the group avoided the resulting fireball except for 16206, which was directly behind 16592 and flow into the explosion and mass of debris. Two of them exploded on impact with the ground and burned, but not 16592, which fell into a swamp after losing its main rotor and transmission assemblies in the collision. The meteorological conditions were considered a contributing factor in the accident.”

Newspaper

June 25: “Saigon (AP)….‘Copters Collide. The worst crash occurred at 7;55 a.m. today as an armada of U.S. Army helicopters was ferrying troops of the Royal Thai Army on a combat assault 16 miles east-southeast of Saigon. Speeding through poor weather with the clouds down to 200-300 feet and visibility only half a mile, two of the UH1 helicopters collided in the air. The resulting explosion knocked down a third one flying close by. All 12 American crewmen and their 19 Thai passengers were killed and the three helicopters were destroyed. A U.S. spokesman said the combat sweep was suspended as helicopters and recovery teams were rushed into the area.” (AP. “Five Helicopter Crashes Around Saigon Kill 38. Rhinelander Daily News, WI 6-25-1968, p. 6.)

Source

AP (Associated Press). “Five Helicopter Crashes Around Saigon Kill 38. Rhinelander Daily News, WI 6-25-1968, p. 6. Accessed 4-8-2022 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/rhinelander-daily-news-jun-25-1968-p-6/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation. ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 167487. Accessed 4-8-2022 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/167487

Gero, David. Military Aviation Disasters: Significant Losses Since 1908. UK and Newbury Park, CA: Patrick Stephens Limited, an imprint of Hayes Publishing, 1999.