On July 23, 1968, a U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A Chinook (tail number 66-19011) from the 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company "Muleskinners" broke up in flight and crashed during a short final to Cu Chi Base Airfield in Hau Nghia Province, RVN, killing five crewmen and two passengers. The lost personnel were aircraft commander WO1 Randy R. Wernig, pilot CW2 Thomas W. Duer, crew chief SP5 Donald W. Seidel, gunner SP4 Harry M. Mather, and flight engineer SP5 Danny E. Deese; also, passengers CPT David G. Mitchell and PVT Richard L. Rousseau. The aircraft reportedly was engaged in a single-ship resupply mission and had refueled approximately 20 minutes prior to the crash. A tape recording from the Cu Chi tower monitor revealed no unusual transmissions nor were there any distress or unusual communications heard by other aircraft monitoring the tower frequency. The pilot did not acknowledge his final clearance from Cu Chi tower; however, just prior to impact, the transmission "roger" came over the FM frequency in a calm tone. It is believed that the pilot was rogering Cu Chi tower but had mistakenly transmitted over FM. Several witnesses reported a loud "pop and clapping noise" while the aircraft was at approximately 150-200 feet of altitude. A pilot in an aircraft behind the Chinook stated that the front rotors were turning slightly less than normal, and the aft rotors appeared to be close to a stop. Shortly thereafter, the aft pylon was seen to separate from the main part of the fuselage. A small bright flame was seen on the fuselage at the place of separation. Small parts were observed flying from the aircraft prior to impact. Flame quickly engulfed the fuselage after impact. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and vhpa.org]
On July 23, 1968, a U.S. Army helicopter CH-47A Chinook (tail number 66-19011) from the 242nd Assault Support Helicopter Company "Muleskinners" broke up in flight and crashed during a short final to Cu Chi Base Airfield in Hau Nghia Province, RVN, killing five crewmen and two passengers. The lost personnel were aircraft commander WO1 Randy R. Wernig, pilot CW2 Thomas W. Duer, crew chief SP5 Donald W. Seidel, gunner SP4 Harry M. Mather, and flight engineer SP5 Danny E. Deese; also, passengers CPT David G. Mitchell and PVT Richard L. Rousseau. The aircraft reportedly was engaged in a single-ship resupply mission and had refueled approximately 20 minutes prior to the crash. A tape recording from the Cu Chi tower monitor revealed no unusual transmissions nor were there any distress or unusual communications heard by other aircraft monitoring the tower frequency. The pilot did not acknowledge his final clearance from Cu Chi tower; however, just prior to impact, the transmission "roger" came over the FM frequency in a calm tone. It is believed that the pilot was rogering Cu Chi tower but had mistakenly transmitted over FM. Several witnesses reported a loud "pop and clapping noise" while the aircraft was at approximately 150-200 feet of altitude. A pilot in an aircraft behind the Chinook stated that the front rotors were turning slightly less than normal, and the aft rotors appeared to be close to a stop. Shortly thereafter, the aft pylon was seen to separate from the main part of the fuselage. A small bright flame was seen on the fuselage at the place of separation. Small parts were observed flying from the aircraft prior to impact. Flame quickly engulfed the fuselage after impact. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org and vhpa.org]
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