1985 — Mar 13, US Army Black Hawk technical failure crash, Fort Bragg, NC –all 12

–12 AP. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, 1.
–12 AP. “Remains removed from helicopter…wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A.
–12 Aviation Safety Network. US Army Black Hawk crash, Fort Bragg, NC, 13 Mar 1985.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 13-MAR-1985
“Type: Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk
“Owner/operator: US Army
“Registration: 79-23314
“MSN: 70.131
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 12
….
“Location: Fort Bragg, NC
….
“Departure airport: Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
“Destination airport: Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
….
“Narrative: Crashed as a result of a technical failure. The four-man crew and eight
paratroopers died in the crash.”

Newspaper

March 14, AP: “Fort Bragg – The twisted wreckage of a $4.8 million Blackhawk helicopter that crashed and killed all 12 paratroopers aboard smoldered during the night, preventing workers from removing the victims’ bodies, as army spokesman said. ‘The main body of the helicopter was in one hear and (is)…still smoldering,’ Capt. Pete Eschbach of Fort Bragg Joint Public Affairs said Wednesday night. ‘We’ve been unable to remove them (the passengers and crew) because it’s too hot.’

“The aircraft, designed to ferry weapons and soldiers to combat zones, crashed in a cluster of trees about 12:40 p.m. Wednesday while flying with two other Blackhawks in a 100-mph training formation at the Fort Bragg Army base, officials said….

“Four of the victims were crew members assigned to A Company, 92nd Aviation Battalion. The eight passengers were from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry. The identities of eight of the victims were released late Wednesday. Names of the other four were being withheld pending notification of out-of-state relatives, officials said.

“The identified were:

crew members

Chief Warrant Officer 2, Arlington Ingalls, [35, of New London, Conn.]
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Q. Buchanan Jr. and [32, of Seattle]
Sgt. Luis L. Bacallao; [23, of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.]

passengers

Sgt. 1st Class Robert L. Brown, [31, of Vale, NC]
Staff Sgt. Timothy S. Williams, [33, of Miami]
Spec. 5 Michael T. Paserba, [22, of Johnstown, Pa.]
Spec. 4 Sebastian Correira III, all assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry;
[23, of Marlboro, Md.]
and Spec. 4 Mackie G. Chism, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd
Battalion, 504th Infantry [21, Ridgely, Tenn.]

“Ft. Bragg firefighters and a group of about 40 military policemen training in the area converged on the scene, he said, adding that one firefighter was hosing down the rubble near the wreckage. But Eschbach said the helicopter itself couldn’t be sprayed because of was made of a large amount of magnesium and magnesium alloy, which has a melting point of 6,000 degrees, and wouldn’t be affected by water….

“Frey said the crash occurred about 20 miles west of the main post, near the Nijmegen Drop Zone – a training area near the town of Southern Pines. Fort Bragg is about 200 square miles in size….

“The crash brought to 23 the number of serious accidents involving Blackhawks since early 1981 when the Army began using the aircraft, said Lt. Col. Tom Jones, a Defense Department spokesman. Jones said 34 people have been killed in previous Blackhawk crashes.

“The Blackhawk is a twin-engine, single-rotor helicopter built as a highly maneuverable, heavy-lift aircraft for ferrying troops or weapons to a combat zone. The helicopter’s prime contractor is Sikorsky Aircraft of Connecticut. The helicopter is described as ‘larger, more agile and clearly superior’ to the UH-1 Huey, which it is replacing. The Blackhawk ‘is capable of transporting an entire 11-man, fully equipped squad faster and in most weather conditions,’ the Army said.” (Associated Press. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” The Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, p. 1.)

March 15, AP: “Fort Bragg (AP) – The remains of 12 soldiers who died in the fiery crash of a Blackhawk at Fort Bragg have been retrieved from the twisted wreckage, but officials say it could take months to determine the cause of the crash….

“The Army gave the following identities of the victims: [We note the four not noted above]

Pvt. 2 Troy G. Pease, 19, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Pfc. Paul S. Resnick, 19, Moorestown, N.J.
Pfc. Richard D. Zimmerman, 20, Shavertown, Pa.
Pfc. Ioannis Bougas, 19, New York City. ….”
(AP. “Remains removed from helicopter crash wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A.)

Sources

Associated Press. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” The Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, p. 1. Accessed 7-23-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/kannapolis-daily-independent-mar-14-1985-p-1/

Associated Press. “Remains removed from helicopter crash wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A. Accessed 7-23-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-times-news-mar-15-1985-p-7/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. US Army Black Hawk crash, Fort Bragg, NC, 13 Mar 1985. Accessed 7-23-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/77627