Disposition of the CH-47D Helicopters

          In service to the United States Army

 

 

         
Big Windy's 88-00104 flying by King Ludwig II's famous Neuschwanstein (German for "New Swan Stone") castle (the inspiration for Walt Disney's Cinderella Castle) in southern Bavaria, Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) (November 2000).

          Big Windy's 88-00104 and Neuschwanstein Castle.

 

 

             As of 14 June 2009, we had generally a good idea what became of most of the 444 D model Chinooks manufactured for the U.S. Army. Many of the details surrounding the demise of most of the known lost aircraft has remained a mystery.

 

          This list does not include MH-47D model tail numbers.

 

          Click-N-Go on an underlined tail number to read more about a specific Chinook.

 

 

          Total Airframe Losses

 

 

             124 D model airframes have been lost due to accidents, mechanical failure, enemy fire, conversion to other models, sales to foreign governments or scrapped.

 

          Accidents:

18

          Mechanical Failure:

5

          Enemy Fire:

4

          Prototype Conversion:

2

          F Model Conversion:

1

          G Model Conversion:

41

          Sold to Foreign Government:

6

          Scrapped:

47

          Total Losses:

124

 

 

          Airframe Losses Due to Accidents

 

 

          18 airframes have been lost due to accidents.

 

 

          --- Crashed at Boeing ---

 

             On 7 July 1985, one airframe crashed during a company test flight while still at the Boeing facilities in Pennsylvania, details unknown:

 

         
84-24166

 

 

          --- Crashed at Fort Stewart ---

 

             On 9 April 1986, one airframe was lost in a mid-air collision with an AH-1 Cobra:

 

         
85-24325

 

 

          --- Crashed in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) ---

 

             On 4 December 1989, one airframe was lost due to an accident when it struck a ridgeline while operating in marginal VFR weather conditions with a sling load:

 

         
88-00092

 

 

          --- Crashed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky ---

 

             On 24 July 1990, one airframe was lost due to an accident when the sling load contacted the ground, forcing the aircraft to flip over and crash inverted:

 

         
82-23764

 

 

          --- Crashed In Saudi Arabia ---

 

             On 1 March 1991, one airframe crashed during Operation Desert Shield / Storm when it struck a tower:

 

         
84-24177

 

 

          --- Crashed in Kansas ---

 

             On 31 July 1994, one airframe was lost due to an accident when it hit high tension power lines, disintegrated, and fell into the Osage River:

 

         
90-00201

 

 

          --- Crashed in Idaho ---

 

             On 23 September 1994, one airframe was lost due to an accident when the rotor system struck the ground while the aircrew was attempting to land on a ridgeline:

 

         
90-00220

 

 

          --- Crashed at Fort Hood, Texas ---

 

 

             On 24 April 1995, five personnel were killed when one airframe was lost near Florence in Williamson County. The accident occurred as a result of the rotor system disintegrating during a maintenance test flight. A bushing was not installed in the aft swashplate during a maintenance procedure:

 

         
86-01681

 

 

          --- Crashed in Afghanistan ---

 

             On 28 January 2002, one airframe was lost due to an accident after encountering brown out conditions and subsequently suffering from a hard landing. The airframe was later destroyed in place:

 

         
84-24174

 

 

          --- Crashed in California ---

 

             On 29 May 2002, one airframe was lost in a post crash fire after attempting an aft gear landing on a pinnacle. The aft rotor system contacted the ground, initiating the airframe destruction:

 

         
90-00195

 

 

          --- Crashed in Afghanistan ---

 

             On 24 April 2003, one airframe was lost due to an accident after encountering an engine failure and subsequently suffering from a hard landing. The airframe was later destroyed in place:

 

         
90-00217

 

 

          --- Crashed in Iraq ---

 

             On 28 August 2003, one airframe was lost due to an accident after encountering brown out conditions and subsequently suffering from a hard landing:

 

         
88-00098

 

 

          --- Crashed in Iraq ---

 

             On 14 April 2004, one airframe was lost due to an accident after encountering brown out conditions and subsequently suffering from a hard landing:

 

         
92-00301

 

 

          --- Crashed in the Republic of Alaska ---

 

             On 20 April 2004, one airframe was lost when interaction between the airframe and terra-ferma became unavoidable:

 

         
90-00183

 

 

          --- Crashed in Afghanistan ---

 

             On 6 April 2005, one airframe was lost due to an accident after encountering adverse environmental conditions and crashed:

 

         
88-00100

 

 

          --- Crashed in Iraq ---

 

             On 22 May 2005, one airframe was lost due to an accident due to fuel exhaustion:

 

         
87-00102

 

 

          --- Crashed in Iraq ---

 

             On 2 July 2005, one airframe was lost due to an accident when it landing on a pad and the pad was ingested by the rotor system:

 

         
85-24335

 

 

          --- Crashed in Afghanistan ---

 

             On 5 May 2006, one airframe was lost due to an accident when it rolled off a ridgeline while transporting soldiers on the battlefield:

 

         
85-24349

 

 

          Airframe Losses Due to Mechanical Failure

 

 

          Five airframes have been lost due to mechanical failure.

 

 

          --- Crashed near Chico, Texas ---

 

             On 25 February 1988, while on a routine flight from Fort Hood, Texas, to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, one airframe was lost after suffering from an in-flight fire caused by the failure of the number two engine transmission and driveshaft. There were ten killed and eight burned:

 

         
86-01643

 

 

          --- Crashed in Honduras ---

 

             On 8 December 1988, one airframe was lost due to failure of the number one input pinion gear in the Combining Transmission. An inflight flight started which resulted in the loss of the flight control tubes in that area:

 

         
85-24332

 

 

          --- Crashed in Saudia Arabia ---

 

             On 11 January 1991, one aircraft was lost when the number two engine transmission failed in flight causing an in-flight fire:

 

         
89-00165

 

 

          --- Crashed in the Republic of Alaska ---

 

             On 10 October 1992, one airframe was lost when a small screw in an upper dual boost actuator failed due to hydrogen embrittlement:

 

         
89-00173

 

 

          --- Rolled Inverted ---

 

             On 11 April 1997, one airframe rolled inverted severely damaging the airframe, and was later utilized as a ballistic evaluation device at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, and was eventually destroyed in a ground resonance incident:

 

         
84-24156

 

 

          Airframe Losses Due to Enemy Action

 

 

          Four airframes have been lost due to enemy fire.

 

 

          --- Shot Down in Iraq ---

 

             On 2 November 2003, one airframe was lost when it was shot down in Iraq:

 

         
91-00230

 

 

          --- Shot Down in Afghanistan ---

 

             On 25 September 2005, one airframe was shot down during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) while in Afghanistan, details unknown:

 

         
90-00200

 

             On 4 December 2005, one airframe was lost when it was shot down in Afghanistan:

 

         
91-00269

 

             On 30 May 2007, one airframe was lost when it was shot down in Afghanistan:

 

         
86-01644

 

 

          Airframe Losses - Converted to F Model Prototypes

 

 

             Two airframes were converted to F model prototypes (EMD or Engineering & Manufacturing Development aircraft) and sent to the Avation Technical Test Center, Fort Rucker, Alabama for evaluation and testing:

 

         
83-24107 83-24115

 

 

          Airframe Losses - Converted to Production F Model

 

 

             One airframe was converted into the only D to F model Chinook remanufacture aircraft (more or less a concept test article - 03-08003:

 

         
83-24121

 

 

          Airframe Losses - Converted to G Model

 

 

          As of 14 June 2009, 41 D model airframes were converted to G model airframes:

 

         
81-23385 81-23387 81-23388 82-23762 82-23766
82-23767 82-23770 82-23772 82-23773 82-23774
82-23778 82-23779 82-23780 83-24102 83-24106
83-24108 83-24112 83-24116 83-24117 83-24119
84-24152 84-24160 84-24161 84-24164 84-24169
84-24171 84-24173 84-24180 85-24322 85-24341
85-24344 85-24352 85-24363 85-24364 85-24365
85-24366 86-01636 86-01637 86-01678 86-01679
87-00095        

 

 

          Airframe Losses - Sold to Foreign Government

 

 

          --- 6 airframes were sold to Foreign Governments ---

 

 

          6 airframes were sold to Canada:

 

         
84-24154 84-24181 86-01650 86-01651 87-00081
89-00130        

 

 

          Airframe Losses - Scrapped

 

 

             As of 14 June 2009, 47 Airframes were scrapped during the F Production Process. The airframes were essentially stripped of useable dynamic components that were used on some new built F model Chinook helicopter fuselages and the old airframes were scrapped. Some of the usable components included the engines, transmissions, drive train sync shafts, rotor systems, hydraulics, doors, fuel pods, nose enclosures, avionics and some electrical items. The following airframes were scrapped:

 

         
81-23382 81-23383 81-23384 81-23386 81-23389
82-23765 82-23769 82-23771 82-23775 82-23776
82-23777 83-24103 83-24104 83-24105 83-24109
83-24111 83-24113 83-24114 83-24120 83-24122
83-24125 84-24155 84-24163 84-24165 84-24184
84-24185 84-24186 85-24328 85-24339 85-24343
85-24355 85-24356 85-24357 85-24358 85-24359
86-01640 86-01648 86-01649 86-01652 86-01655
86-01657 86-01658 86-01675 87-00087 87-00103
88-00078 92-00367      

 

 

          CH-47D Chinook Helicopters Sold at Auction

 

 

         
88-00097 88-00109 89-00138 90-00184 90-00185

 

 

          In Flyable Service

 

          --- To the United States Army ---

 

 

             315 D model Chinook helicopters were in service as of 14 June 2009:

 

         
81-23381 82-23768 83-24123 83-24124 84-24153
84-24157 84-24158 84-24159 84-24162 84-24167
84-24168 84-24170 84-24172 84-24175 84-24176
84-24178 84-24179 84-24182 84-24183 84-24187
85-24323 85-24324 85-24326 85-24327 85-24329
85-24330 85-24331 85-24333 85-24334 85-24336
85-24337 85-24338 85-24340 85-24345 85-24346
85-24347 85-24348 85-24350 85-24351 85-24353
85-24354 85-24362 85-24368 85-24369 86-01638
86-01639 86-01641 86-01642 86-01645 86-01646
86-01647 86-01653 86-01654 86-01656 86-01659
86-01660 86-01661 86-01662 86-01663 86-01664
86-01665 86-01666 86-01667 86-01668 86-01669
86-01670 86-01671 86-01672 86-01673 86-01674
86-01676 86-01677 86-01680 86-01682 87-00069
87-00070 87-00071 87-00072 87-00073 87-00074
87-00075 87-00076 87-00077 87-00078 87-00079
87-00080 87-00082 87-00083 87-00084 87-00085
87-00086 87-00088 87-00089 87-00090 87-00091
87-00092 87-00093 87-00094 87-00096 87-00097
87-00098 87-00099 87-00100 87-00101 87-00104
87-00105 87-00106 87-00107 87-00108 87-00109
87-00110 87-00111 87-00112 87-00113 87-00114
87-00115 87-00116 88-00062 88-00063 88-00064
88-00065 88-00066 88-00067 88-00068 88-00069
88-00070 88-00071 88-00072 88-00073 88-00074
88-00075 88-00076 88-00077 88-00079 88-00080
88-00081 88-00082 88-00083 88-00085 88-00086
88-00087 88-00088 88-00089 88-00090 88-00091
88-00093 88-00094 88-00095 88-00096 88-00099
88-00101 88-00102 88-00103 88-00104 88-00105
88-00106 88-00107 88-00108 89-00132 89-00133
89-00134 89-00135 89-00136 89-00137 89-00139
89-00140 89-00141 89-00142 89-00143 89-00144
89-00145 89-00147 89-00148 89-00149 89-00150
89-00151 89-00152 89-00153 89-00154 89-00155
89-00156 89-00157 89-00158 89-00159 89-00162
89-00163 89-00164 89-00166 89-00167 89-00168
89-00169 89-00170 89-00171 89-00172 89-00174
89-00175 89-00176 89-00177 90-00180 90-00181
90-00182 90-00186 90-00187 90-00188 90-00189
90-00190 90-00191 90-00192 90-00193 90-00194
90-00196 90-00197 90-00198 90-00199 90-00202
90-00203 90-00204 90-00205 90-00206 90-00207
90-00208 90-00209 90-00210 90-00211 90-00212
90-00213 90-00214 90-00215 90-00216 90-00218
90-00219 90-00221 90-00222 90-00223 90-00224
90-00225 90-00226 91-00231 91-00232 91-00233
91-00234 91-00235 91-00236 91-00237 91-00238
91-00239 91-00240 91-00241 91-00242 91-00243
91-00244 91-00245 91-00246 91-00247 91-00248
91-00249 91-00250 91-00251 91-00252 91-00253
91-00254 91-00255 91-00256 91-00257 91-00258
91-00259 91-00260 91-00261 91-00262 91-00263
91-00264 91-00265 91-00266 91-00267 91-00268
91-00270 91-00271 92-00280 92-00281 92-00282
92-00283 92-00284 92-00285 92-00286 92-00287
92-00288 92-00289 92-00290 92-00291 92-00292
92-00293 92-00294 92-00295 92-00296 92-00297
92-00298 92-00299 92-00300 92-00302 92-00303
92-00304 92-00305 92-00306 92-00307 92-00308
92-00309 92-00368 93-00928 93-00929 93-00930
93-00931 93-00932 93-00933 93-00934 98-02000

 

 

          The CH-47 - 40 years old and still circling the world.

         

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