Alderson, Thomas Earl, CPT

Probably one of the greatest fears in Vietnam was to die on the way home.
Time and again there were example after example of how you weren't
really safe until you heard the wheels thump into the wheel wells of the
DC-8 Freedom Bird taking us home.  What follows is our recollections of
that day in 1968, the accident report and the list of all known KIAs from
the National Archives for the First Cavalry Division.


Official Accident Summary:

THE US AIR FORCE C7-A DEPARTED CAMP EVANS AIRFIELD FROM RUNWAY
36. HIS LAST RADIO TRANSMISSION AFTER RECEIVING TOWER CLEARANCE
WAS "ROLLING". THIS AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO BREAK RIGHT PRIOR TO
REACHING THE END OF THE RUNWAY. HE CONTINUED A CLIMBING TURN TO A
HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 130 DEGREES. THE CH-47 HELICOPTER HAD
DEPARTED LZ NANCY ONLY A FEW MINUTES BEFORE. IT WAS PROCEEDING
SOUTH ALONG HIGHWAY QL-1, ON A HEADING OF 170 DEGREES, IN A
SHALLOW DESCENT.

THIS IS A SCHEDULED DAILY PASSENGER AND MAIL SHUTTLE AND WOULD HAVE ENTERED TRAFFIC ON A RIGHT BASE LEG FOR LANDING AT THE CAMP EVANS ASP PAD IS THE REGULAR STOP FOR THIS SHUTTLE AND IS LOCATED EAST OF THE CENTERLINE OF RUNWAY 36, APPROXIMATELY 1000 FEET SOUTH OF THE APPROACH END OF THAT RUNWAY.

HE HAD NOT YET CALLED THE TOWER FOR CLEARANCE, THOUGH HIS UHF
RADIO WAS ON TOWER FREQUENCY. IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE CH-47 WAS
CRUISING AT APPROXIMATELY 95 TO 100 KNOTS. THE C7A WITH CLIMB
POWER, SHOULD HAVE BEEN AT ABOUT 105 KNOTS. THE TWO AIRCRAFT
CONVERGED AT AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 1100 FEET AT A RELATIVE
ANGLE OF APPROXIMATELY 40 DEGREES.

THE COCKPIT SECTION OF THE C7-A CONTACTED THE REAR ROTOR OF THE HELICOPTER. THE C7-A HAD STARTED A RIGHT BANK, PROBABLY A LAST MINUTE ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE COLLISION. WHEN THE TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDED, AT LEAST ONE OF THE HELICOPTER REAR ROTOR BLADES SLICED THRU THE COCKPIT SECTION OF THE AIRPLANE  ON AN ANGLE FROM THE TOP OF THE COPILOTS WINDSHIELD DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PILOTS WINDSHIELD, KILLING BOTH PILOTS INSTANTLY, AND DESTROYING ALL ENGINE CONTROLS. AT THE SAME TIME. 

ONE OF THE ROTOR BLADES, OR DEBRIS FROM THE COCKPIT STRUCK THE
LEFT PROPELLOR OF THE C7-A. ONE OF THE BLADES WAS SEVERED FROM
THE PROPELLER, AND PASSED THROUGH BOTH SIDES OF THE FUSELAGE OF
THE AIRPLANE. THE LEFT PROPELLER THEN SEPARATED FROM THE ENGINE
AND FELL TO THE GROUND. THE C7-A MADE A STEEP DESCENDING RIGHT
TURN AND STRUCK THE GROUND ON A HEADING OF 340 DEGREES. THE
AIRCRAFT DISINTEGRATED, ALL PERSONNEL ABOARD PERISHED, THERE WAS
NO FIRE. THE CH-47, AT THE MOMENT OF THE COLLISION LOST ALL OF
ITS REAR MAIN ROTOR BLADES. ONCE THESE BLADES WERE BROKEN AND
DISTORED BY THE COLLISION, THEY CHOPPED INTO THE TOP OF THE
HELICOPTERS FUSELAGE BEFORE FINALLY SEPARATING FROM THE HUB.

THEY DISLODGED TWO SECTIONS OF THE SYNCHRONIZER DRIVE SHAFT WHICH ALSO FELL TO THE GROUND. AT THIS TIME, NEITHER ROTOR SYSTEM COULD PROVIDE ANY THRUST, AND THE HELICOPTER BECAME A FREE FALLING BODY. WHILE IT WAS TUMBLING TO EARTH, THE REAR ROTOR MAST AND PYLON SEPARATED FROM THE FUSELAGE AND LANDED 150 METERS SHORT OF THE FUSELAGE. THE FUSELAGE TUMBLED TO EARTH AND IMPACTED ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 120 DEGREES. IT LANDED ON ITS TOP LEFT SIDE IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, WITH NEAR ZERO FORWARD SPEED.

IT EXPLODED ON IMPACT. TWO PERSONS FELL OUT OF THE HELICOPTER AS IT TUMBLED THRU THE AIR. THEY WERE FATALLY INJURED ON CONTACT WITH
THE GROUND. THOSE REMAINING IN THE HELICOPTER DIED IN THE
CRASH.\\


Information on U.S. Army helicopter        tail number 66-19041
Date: 681003
Incident number: 681003141ACD Accident case number: 681003141 Total loss
or fatality Accident
Unit: A/ 228 Combat Support Aviation Battalion  1st  Cavalry Division, 
Phu Bai             Province,
Number killed in accident: 11 Injured: 0 Passengers: 6
Crew Members:
AC W2  JOHNSON THOMAS EUGENE   KIA     
P W1  CONROY RONALD LEE             KIA
FE E4 COSTLEY LARRY L KIA
CE E4  PIERCE JERRY LEE JR           KIA
G E4  REESE DENNIS DEAN              KIA

Passengers from the aircraft accident list are:
CPT ALDERSON THOMAS EARL,
SFC CLEMENTS DAWSON,
SSG YOUNG WILLIAM RANDOLPH,
PFC LUCIER JOHN WILLIAM,
SSG WALLACE CHARLES JAMES,
SP4 SEE MICHAEL DUANE,