Cargile, Claude Harmon, 1LT

Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/13/1970 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander. Died 12 days later on 05/25/1970.

Flight class: 69-26

Short Summary: Lost RPM on takeoff from LZ and crashed.  
Crew Chief, E5 J.L. Henderson was thrown out and survived.

Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 66-17132

Primary cause: A/C Accident

Started Tour: 10/10/1969

single male U.S. citizen

Race: Caucasian

Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)

This record was last updated on 07/29/1995
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Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 66-17132
Incident number: 700513261ACD Accident case number: 700513261
Total loss or fatality - Accident
The station for this helicopter was Chu Lai in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 9 . . Injured = 4 . . Passengers = 9
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated:
Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )


Crew Members:

AC 1LT CARGILE CLAUDE HARMON INJ
P WO1 WHITE DONALD RICHARD KIA
CE E5 JL HENDERSON
G PFC MARTINEZ LE ROY FELIX INJ  (Per ATWS Page Admin. - also died later on May 25)

Passengers and/or other participants:   9 ARVN Troops

Accident Summary:

 AIRCRAFT 132 WAS INVOLVED IN THE RELOCATION OF ARVN'S FROM ONE FIELD SITE TO ANOTHER. DUE TO THE PROXIMITY OF THE LZ AND PZ, THE AIRCRAFT WAS MAKING A LOW-LEVEL, DAISY-CHAIN, TYPE PATTERN WITH THE OTHER AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN THE OPERATION. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER SAID IN HIS STATEMENT THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN BLEEDING OFF A COUPLE HUNDRED RPM EACH TIME HE DEPARTED WITH A LOAD. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE ELEVEN TAKE-OFFS AND ON EACH ONE HE HAD BLEED RPM. EACH TIME A HOVER CHECK HAD BEEN MADE AND IT WAS WITHIN ACCEPTABLE LIMITS; BUT THE AIRCRAFT WOULD LOSE RPM WHEN THEY MOVED THE CYCLIC FORWARD TO TAKEOFF. AT APPROXIMATELY 1515 HOURS THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER PICKED-UP THE AIRCRAFT, COMPLETED A HOVER CHECK, AND ELECTED TO DEPART. AS THEY WERE DEPARTING, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER REALIZED HE WAS LOSING RPM. HOWEVER, SINCE THIS HAD HAPPENED EARLIER IN THE DAY, HE CONTINUED HIS MISSION. WO-1 WHITE TOLD 1LT CARGILE THAT HE WAS LOSING RPM RAPIDLY AND THE TORQUE WAS RISING. CARGILE SAID THAT HE WAS TRYING TO REDUCE THE TORQUE BY LOWERING THE COLLECTIVE. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO LOSE RPM UNTIL IT STRUCK THE GROUND IN A NOSE, HIGH RIGHT BANK. THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RUNNING LANDING SINCE HE HAD FAIRLY GOOD AIRSPEED, 40 KNOTS; BUT ONLY 20 TO 30 FEET OF ALTITUDE. ON INITIAL CONTACT WITH THE GROUND THE NEEDLES WERE JOINED AT 4000 ENGINE RPM. THE SKIDS CONTACTED THE GROUND FIRST AND WERE RIPPED OFF THE AIRCRAFT. IT THEN WENT FOR APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN METERS AND HIT AN EMBANKMENT WHICH ROLLED THE AIRCRAFT OVER ONE TIME. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED OVER, THE CREWCHIEF WAS THROWN OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. ALL OTHER PERSONNEL STAYED WITH THE AIRCRAFT TILL THE FINAL IMPACT. AFTER FIFTEEN METERS THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST, INVERTED, AND POINTING 45 DEGREES OFF THE CRASH PATH. DURING THE CRASH SEQUENCE THE AIRCRAFT CAUGHT ON FIRE AND COMPLETELY BURNED. FIRST INDICATIONS SEEMED TO POINT A DOWNWIND DEPARTURE BUT THE AREA HAD BEEN MARKED BY SMOKE AND THE PROPER APPROACH AND TAKE-OFF WERE UTILIZED FOR THE EXISTING WINDS. THUS THE FORECAST OF THE WINDS FROM THE REPORTING STATION DID NOT CONFORM TO THE SITUATION AT THE SITE OF THE ACCIDENT.\\

This record was last updated on 09/20/1998

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