1989 — March 20, USMC Sea Stallion Helo Engine Mal./Crash, Mt., ~Pohang, S. Korea–19
— 22 Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”[1]
— 21 Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Marine Chopper Crashes; 21 Dead.” 3-21-1989, p. 1.[2]
— 19 Los Angeles Times, CA. “Helicopter Accidents South Korea.” 3-28-1989.[3]
— 19 Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Engine Eyed in Helo Crash.“ 3-22-1989, p. 2.
— 19 Sweetman, Jack. American Naval History: An Illustrated Chronology… 2002, p. 264.
— 19 The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “Copter Crash Kills 19 Marines.” 3-20-1989, p. 3.
— 19 USMC History Division. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps –1989.”
Narrative Information
USMC: “17, 20 March – Two helicopter crashes within three days left 23 servicemen dead and many more injured during Exercise Team Spirit 89 in South Korea. Four Marines on board a CH-46E from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161 died on 17 March when their helicopter crashed near the town of Tok Sok Ri. Three days later on 20 March, a CH-53D from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 crashed near the port of Pohang. Of the 34 men on board, 18 Marines and one corpsman were killed.” (USMC History Division. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1989.”)
Aviation Forum: “20 March 1989: In South Korea, near Po Hang City, in hill/mountain region, an US CH-53D crashed, during the South Korea-US joint military exercise Team Spirit 89. It belonged to Futenma AB. 22 killed, 15 heavily wounded.” (Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”)
March 20, AP: “Seoul, South Korea (AP) – At least 19 U.S. Marines were killed and 16 injured today when a helicopter crashed in remote mountains, officials said. It was the second Marine chopper disaster in South Korea in four days. The troop-carrying CH53-D Sea Stallion helicopter crashed near the port of Pohang on the southeast coast while taking part in exercises with South Korean forces, a Marine Corps spokesman said.
“All 34 Marines aboard the aircraft were killed or injured, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity. The injured included 15 Marines aboard the helicopter and one hurt on the ground during rescue operations. Nine of the injured were in very serious condition.
“Marine officials initially said 22 Marines were killed in the crash, but later lowered the figure to 19 because of confusion in early reports from the crash site.
“The helicopter was carrying four crewmen and 30 infantrymen when it crashed, the spokesman said. The infantrymen were from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines of the 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, Calif., he said.
“Marine officials said they had no immediate word on what caused the crash. Little of the helicopter was left but charred pieces of wreckage.
“Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, cited South Korean military officials as saying the helicopter exploded in the air and burst into flames before slamming into the ground. The report said the helicopter appeared to have a problem in its engines.
A Seoul newspaper, the Kookmin Ilbo, quoted a farmer who saw the crash as saying two helicopters were hovering about 250 feet above the ground when one suddenly turned upside down and plunged into a creek. About 10 soldiers leaped out of the helicopter as it hit the ground, the report said.
“Investigators were sent to the crash site to try to determine what happened, but no quick results were expected, the Marine spokesman said. It was the second fatal crash involving a Marine helicopter in South Korea in four days. All four Marines aboard a CH-46 helicopter were killed Friday when their craft crashed in a rice paddy on the east coast.
“Marine investigators are still trying to determine the cause of Friday’s crash. Both helicopters were taking part in annual “Team Spirit” exercises involving about 200,000 South Korean and U.S. troops. The exercises practice bringing in U.S. reinforcements in the event of a communist North Korean attack. Both aircraft were operating temporarily from the USS Belleau Wood, a Marine assault ship located off the South Korean coast….” (The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “Copter Crash Kills 19 Marines.” 3-20-1989, p. 3.)
March 21, AP/Stars and Stripes: “Seoul, South Korea (AP) – A U.S. Marine helicopter carrying 34 Marines crashed in an isolated mountain region on South Korea’s southeast coast early Monday and 21 were killed, U.S. authorities said. Thirteen Marines were injured, some critically, U.S. authorities said. The most critical were evacuated to an amphibious assault ship off the Korean coast, the USS Belleau Wood, and the rest were flown to Seoul, authorities said.
“The Marines were participating in the annual joint U.S.-South Korea military exercise Team Spirit, made up of 60,000 U.S. troops and 140,000 South Korean forces.
“A U.S. military statement said the helicopter was assigned to the 1st Marine Air Wing, Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, Okinawa, Japan. It carried a crew of four and 30 U.S. military passengers….
“The U.S. military said the crash occurred shortly before 7 a.m. in a rugged, mountainous area south of Pohang, an industrial port on the southeast coast of South Korea….” (Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Marine Chopper Crashes; 21 Dead.” 3-21-1989, p. 1.)
March 22, LA Times: “Associated Press. Washington — The Marine Corps on Tuesday released a list of 18 of the 19 Marines killed Monday in the crash of a CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter near P’ohang, South Korea. It identified the victims as:
Cpl. John A. Alafonso, 24, of Aztec, N.M., a rifleman.
Lance Cpl. Richard R. Anglin, 22, of Redlands, Calif., a rifleman.
2nd Lt. Darren M. Bell, 23, of Tampa, Fla., an infantry officer.
Pfc. Saul D. Castro Jr., 18, of Lamont, Calif., a rifleman.
Lance Cpl. Kurt R. Decker, 21, of Toledo, Ohio, a rifleman.
Lance Cpl. Michael A. Depew, 20, of Red Lion, Pa., a rifleman.
Lance Cpl. Andrew A. Hernandez, 19, of Arnold, Md., a machine gunner.
Lance Cpl. Ronald A. Johnson, 21, of Simi Valley, Calif., a machine gunner.
Lance Cpl. Anthony P. Longstaff, 25, of Waldo, Wis., a machine gunner.
Cpl. Brian K. McClusky, 22, of Brazil, Ind., a rifleman.
Lance Cpl. Wilbur S. McDaniel, 19, of Carthage, Tex., a rifleman.
Capt. Michael McGreevy, 27, of Hazlet, N.J., a pilot.
1st Lt. David M. Pimple, 25, of Cochise, Ariz., a pilot.
Lance Cpl. Carl B. Ratcliff, 21, of Bluefield, W. Va., a machine gunner.
Lance Cpl. Keith N. Silha, 22, of Onalaska, Wis., a machine gunner.
Staff Sgt. Jorge Verdugo, 27, of Nogales, Ariz., a platoon sergeant.
1st Lt. Kevin M. Wooten, 27, of Bowie, Md., an infantry officer.
Sgt. James D. Zinser, 30, of Portland, Ore., a machine gunner.
“The Marine Corps said the name of the 19th victim, a Navy hospital corpsman, was withheld because his relatives had not yet been contacted….” (Los Angeles Times. “Marine Corps Names 18 Killed in Copter Crash.” 3-22-1989.)
March 22, Stars and Stripes: “Seoul, South Korea – Investigators Tuesday sifted through the charred wreckage of an Okinawa-based CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter that crashed Monday during a Team Spirit training operation, but U.S authorities in Seoul said they still had no indication of what caused the disaster that killed 19 Marines.
“ROK SOURCES said it resulted from “some sort of engine malfunction” but a U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command spokesman could not confirm that. He said he had only sketchy information on the crash, attributing that to poor communications between Seoul and the crash site nearly 200 miles south.
“Authorities did revise the death toll, however. They now say 19 Marines aboard the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing helicopter died and 15 others were injured. The spokesman said Marines aboard the aircraft were from C Co., 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif. They were assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit on the assault ship.
“The helicopter was part of Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron 363 from Marine Corps Air Station Tustin, Calif., on six month deployment at Camp Hansen on Okinawa — forward deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma there.
“The Belleau Wood is one of 25 U.S. 7th Fleet ships taking part in Team Spirit….
“Local newsmen who reached the CH-53 crash site at mid-morning Monday quoted an unidentified South Korean military source as saying the crash resulted from engine malfunction. The Newsmen said that source told them the helicopter had been taking part in an assault exercise when the crash occurred. They said there were conflicting reports at the scene. A farmer identified as Kim Yong-ho, 46, told them he saw two helicopters fly overhead as he was going to his fields shortly after dawn. Kim reportedly said one of the helicopters suddenly heeled over in the air and plummeted to earth. He said 10 men leaped from the wreckage and ran to safety seconds before the crumpled craft burst into flames.
“Newsmen said a second unidentified witness told them he heard an explosion and saw smoke from the aircraft moments before it crashed.
“The CFC spokesman in Seoul could not confirm any of those reports. “All I can say is that there are numerous conflicting reports and we don’t have anything official,” he said.
“Initial reports were that the crash occurred 35 miles south of Pohang, but the CFC said later the
site was 15 miles west of the city. Pohang is 170 miles south of Seoul and is the base camp for III Marine Expeditionary Force troops involved in Team Spirit….” (Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Engine Eyed in Helo Crash.“ 3-22-1989, pp. 1-2.)
March 22, AP/ Stars and Stripes: “The Associated Press. The Sea Stallion helicopter that crashed in South Korea Monday is one of a family of heavy assault choppers.
“CAPACITY: 55 soldiers, or cargo, plus a crew of four. (A Marine spokesman on Okinawa said Marine guidelines prescribe a maximum of 37 troops, along with pilot, co-pilot and two other crewmen.)
“DIMENSIONS: 67 feet, 2 inches long; 24 feet, 11 inches high.
“WEIGHT: Empty, 23,485 pounds; loaded, 42,000 pounds.
“RANGE: 540 miles.
“TOP SPEED: 196 mph.
“MANUFACTURER: Sikorsky Aircraft of Stratford, Conn.
“HISTORY: First ordered by the Marines in 1969 as a successor to the CH-53A and used in the Vietnam War. An advanced version, the CH-53E Super Stallion, began service in 1981. The Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force also use versions of the helicopter with differing model names and numbers. A similar model, the RH-53D Sea Stallion, was used in the abortive U.S. mission to rescue American hostages held in Iran.” (Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Sea Stallion at a Glance.” 3-22-1989, p. 2.)
March 28, LA Times: “As a band played “The Marine Hymn,” the bodies of 18 Marines and a Navy corpsman killed in a March 20 helicopter crash in South Korea were returned to the United States. A chaplain prayed and an honor guard made up of Navy and Marine personnel and about 150 members of the Air Force watched as black-gloved Marine pallbearers removed caskets from a C-141 cargo jet that landed at Travis Air Force Base. Most of the Marines killed were from Camp Pendleton near Oceanside.” (Los Angeles Times, CA. “Helicopter Accidents South Korea.” 3-28-1989.)
Sources
Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.” Accessed 6-27-2016 at: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=43214
Los Angeles Times. “Helicopter Accidents South Korea.” 3-28-1989. Accessed 6-27-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/helicopter-accidents-south-korea
Los Angeles Times. “Marine Corps Names 18 Killed in Copter Crash.” 3-22-1989. Accessed 6-27-2016 at: http://articles.latimes.com/1989-03-22/news/mn-71_1_marine-corps
Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Engine Eyed in Helo Crash.“ 3-22-1989, p. 2. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133302757
Stars and Stripes, Pacific. “Marine Chopper Crashes; 21 Dead.” 3-21-1989, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=133302742
Sweetman, Jack. American Naval History: An Illustrated Chronology of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, 1775-Present (Third Edition). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. 2002. Partially Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=fAm1Y6gjYtwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “Copter Crash Kills 19 Marines.” 3-20-1989, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=19428469
United States Marine Corps History Division, Reference Branch. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1989.” Accessed at: http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Chronologies/Yearly/1989.htm
[1] Figure not used — a Marine Corps cite states there were 19 fatalities, as do most other sources cited.
[2] Figure not used – next day edition noted nineteen fatalities.
[3] Eighteen Marines and a Navy corpsman.