1989 — March 12, USAF CH-3C helicopter crash 20 miles NW of Tucson, ~Marana, AZ–15

—     15  Baugher, Joseph F. 1965 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision.

–12-15  Casa Grande Dispatch, AZ. “Military Copter Crashes near Marana…” 3-13-1989, p. 1.

—     15  Trojan. “These Things I Do…That Others May be Remembered…Crash of CH-3E…”

 

Narrative Information

 

Baugher: “Sikorsky CH-3C….5692 (c/n 61.543) converted to CH-3E. With 71st SOS, main rotor blade broke and crashed 20 mi NW of Tucson, AZ Mar 12, 1989. 4 crew and 11 passengers killed.”  (Baugher, Joseph F.  1965 USAF Serial Numbers.  1-16-2012 revision.)

 

Trojan: “On Sunday, March 12, 1989, a clear, moonless night, Air Force helicopter 65-05692, call sign PONY 1-2 with an Air Force Reserve crew of 4 and an 11 member Army Special Forces Team aboard from the 5th Special Forces Group assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C. and was participating in a joint-service training exercise. The helicopter was number two of a two ship in trail formation on a planned night infiltration mission. The flight began from Libby Army Airfield, Fort Huachuca Arizona, 79 miles southeast of Tucson, to the Air Force’s Gila Bend Gunnery Range, 124 miles northwest of Tucson. On the way the helicopter stopped at Davis-Monthan AFB for refueling.

 

“They departed Davis-Monthan at 7:20 pm and crashed approximately fifteen minutes later in a desolate desert area in an uninhabited area adjacent to the Sahuaro National Monument about 20 miles northwest of Tucson. They crashed without getting any radio calls off or anything and the other helicopter in the formation was unaware of what took place. The entire Air Force Reserve crew of 4 and the 11 member Army Special Forces Team were all were lost in the crash.  One witness said he saw the crash from his house a few miles away. “I looked up and I seen a yellow ball, like flames, coming out of the back,” he said. “Five seconds later I saw it hit the ground, and then there was a red fireball.”

 

“Air Force investigators looked at everything from weather to maintenance and weight to determine why the helicopter crashed. The helicopter was flying at the prescribed altitude for the area just prior to the crash; they were not on a low-level mission.  The use of controversial night vision goggles, which had been an issue in numerous military helicopter crashes at that time were also ruled out as a crash cause.  The main rotor shaft nut, a fastener about a foot in diameter that holds the main rotor head to the helicopter frame, had been checked just two days before the crash. The helicopter was among more than 300 CH-3Es and similar helicopters inspected for defective nuts.  The accident investigation team examined the nut and decided it “wasn’t a factor in the accident.” The nut was found still in place, holding what remained of the rotor blades to what remained of the helicopter’s engine housing.

 

“The mystery of why the helicopter crashed continued for some time until investigators dug deep into the maintenance records and examined the wreckage which was removed to Davis-Monthan and photographed. There wasn’t much left because there was a post crash fire that destroyed most of the evidence. It turns out that one of the main rotor blades was overhauled and replaced just before the crash. The main rotor blade that was replaced was incorrectly overhauled by the factory and failed 15 minutes into the flight, taking out the tail rotor.

 

“It was further discovered that a number of other main rotor blades were also incorrectly overhauled. The overhaul company, United Technologies Corporation (UTC) and Sikorsky were later sued as a result of this accident. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two Air Force Reserve crew members lost in the accident in court cases Slaven vs. UTC and Thomas vs. Sikorsky….

 

“The Air Force Reserve crew members lost in the accident were: Lt. Col. Lawrence M. Rolle, 41, of Phoenix, commander of the reserve squadron and co-pilot of the helicopter; Maj. Donald D. Thomas, 42, of Tempe, the pilot; Master Sgt. Malte Breitlow, 45, of Tucson, and Tech. Sgt. William E. Slaven, 37, also of Tucson.

 

“The Army Special Forces Team aboard from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. were Capt.  Ivin L. Broussard, 30, of Sulphur, La.; Capt. Alan C. Brown, 32, West Plains, Mo.; Master Sgt. Roger D. Berryhill, 34, Pahokee, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Larry K. Evans, 30, Sparks, Nev.; Sgt. 1st Class George A. Wayne, 31, Whiteville, N.C.; Staff. Sgt. John W. Bigler II, 24, of Long Beach, Calif.; Staff Sgt. Kenneth W. Campbell, 26, Clinton, S.C.; Staff Sgt. Robert L. Griswold, Fayetteville, N.C.; Staff Sgt. Kevin R. Livengood, 29, San  Antonio, Texas; Sgt. Larry D. Endress, 30, Clearwater, Fla.; and Sgt. Terry M. Hollway, 28, Los Angeles….”  (Trojan, Dave. “These Things I Do…That Others May be Remembered, The Tragic Crash of CH-3E, 65-05692.” 2-2-2010.)

 

AP, March 13: “Marana (AP) — An Air Force Reserve helicopter ferrying Army personnel crashed and burned in a fireball during a training flight Sunday night, killing 12 people and leaving the three others aboard missing and presumed dead, said authorities.  The search for the remaining three crash victims intensified at daybreak, said Capt. Carlos Roque, spokesman at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, who awaited further word from investigators at the crash site, about 25 miles northwest of the base.

 

“The CH-3E “Jolly Green Giant” helicopter, with four crew members from the 71st Special Operations Squadron at Davis-Monthan and 11 active-duty Army personnel from the 1st Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., crashed in an uninhabited area adjacent to the Sahuaro National Monument about 20 miles northwest of Tucson.  The Vietnam-era helicopter was assigned to Davis-Monthan, he added….” (Casa Grande Dispatch, AZ. “Military Copter Crashes near Marana; 12 Killed.” 3-13-1989, 1.)

 

Sources

 

Baugher, Joseph F. 1965 USAF Serial Numbers. 1-16-2012 revision. Accessed 2-27-2012 at: http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1965.html

 

Casa Grande Dispatch, AZ. “Military Copter Crashes near Marana; 12 Killed.” 3-13-1989, 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=110973886

 

Trojan, Dave. “These Things I Do…That Others May be Remembered, The Tragic Crash of CH-3E, 65-05692.” 2-2-2010. Accessed from Wreckchasing Message Board 7-2-2016 at:  http://pacaeropress.websitetoolbox.com/post/The-Tragic-Crash-of-CH3E-6505692-4496186