1988 — Feb 25, Ft. Hood Army Chinook helicopter engine failure and crash, Chico, TX– 10

–10 Adame. “30 Years Later: 1988 U.S. Army CH-47D Crash Near Chico, Texas…” 2-25-2018.
–10 AP. “Army helicopter crash kills 10…” News-Herald, Del Rio, TX. 2-26-1988, 9A.
–10 Aviation Safety Network. US Army Chinook engine failure, crash, Chico, TX, 25-Feb-1988.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 25-Feb-1988…
“Type: Boeing CH-47D Chinook
“Owner/operator: United States Army 158th AVN
“Registration: 86-01643
“MSN: M3148
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 18
….
“Location: Chico, Texas
“Phase: En route
“Nature: Military
“Departure airport: Ft. Hood, Texas
“Destination airport: Ft. Sill, OK
“Narrative:

“Aircraft suffered catastrophic engine failure due to transmission gearbox #2 failure at 3,500 feet. Resulting explosion forced pilots into an emergency descent which culminated in aircraft hitting ground at 150mph, destroying aircraft and setting fire to surrounding area. 10 soldiers died and 8 survived with varying degrees of injury.”

Newspaper

Feb 26, AP: “Chico, Texas (AP) – An Army helicopter nosedived into a cow pasture and skidded about 75 feet before it broke apart in a sheet of fire, killing 19 men and seriously burning eight others, authorities and witnesses said.

“Two soldiers leaped about 35 feet to the ground from the burning twin-rotor CH047D Chinook before it crashed about 50 miles from Fort Worth on Thursday, said state Department of Public Safety Sgt. Robert Rankin. One of the soldiers died. The other soldier said that a fire had broken out at the back of the helicopter based at Fort Sill, Okla., and that those aboard had tried to move to the front to get away from the flames, Rankin said.

“Residents raced to the scene, pulling casualties away from the raging grass fire sparked by the crash….

“The Chinook CH-47D has a history of problems and the Army grounded its entire fleet of 63 of the big transport helicopters for 1½ months in 1985 after an accident in Honduras injured eight soldiers.

“Witnesses said the helicopter was tilted forward at a 45-degree angle, puffing smoke and descending rapidly when it crashed about 3:29 p.m., slicing through a power line. ‘All of a sudden a little thin streak of smoke came out of it and there was a small explosion on the right side underneath it,’ said Joe Haworth, who was working at a nearby plant. ‘The it put out a little more smoke and it flew straight for a ways, then parts went coming out of it.’….

“Jack Southern, 54 used a small fire extinguisher from his pickup truck to douse burning bodies. ‘The only thing I could do was put the fires out on the bodies. I went from body to body trying to put them out,’ he said.

“The copter, carrying 13 passengers and five crew members, was returning to Fort Sill from Fort Hood in central Texas, Fort Sill spokesman Rick Brink said. He said the passengers probably were from Fort Hood, but officials could identify only two early today.

“Of the 10 dead, six died at the scene, one died in Parkland Hospital in Dallas, one died in Bridgeport Hospital and another died early today at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Another soldier was found dead at the crash site after dark Thursday….

“The CH-47D, which has a troop capacity of 44, is a modernized version of earlier models of the Chinook, which was used in Vietnam.

“In the Honduras accident, a transmission bearing failed on a CH-47D taxiing to a refueling depot. The failure caused one of the copter’s main rotors to stop turning; the other rotor began hitting it and the helicopter tore itself apart. The Chinook’s main rotors mesh as they turn, and therefore must be synchronized.” (Associated Press. “Army helicopter crash kills 10 and seriously burns eight.” News-Herald, Del Rio, TX. 2-26-1988, 9A.)

Sources

Adame, Mario G. “30 Years Later: 1988 U.S. Army CH-47D Crash Near Chico, Texas Detailed With Original Video and Newspaper Clippings.” 2-25-2018. Accessed 7-24-2023 at: https://marioadame.com/2018/02/25/30-years-later-1988-u-s-army-ch-47d-crash-near-chico-texas-detailed-with-original-video-and-newspaper-clippings/

Associated Press. “Army helicopter crash kills 10 and seriously burns eight.” News-Herald, Del Rio, TX. 2-26-1988, 9A. Accessed 7-24-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/del-rio-news-herald-feb-26-1988-p-8/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. US Army Chinook engine failure, crash, Chico, TX, 25-Feb-1988. Accessed 7-24-2023 at:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/56477