Boeing CH-47A Chinook helicopter 64-13138.

64-13138

   64-13138, Boeing build number B-110, was a CH-47A helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 8 June 1965. The administrative strike date was 4 May 1966. 64-13138 accumulated 351.0 aircraft hours.

   On 4 May 1966, 64-13138, while assigned to the 147th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) - "Hillclimbers", in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), was lost due to an accident.

   64-13138 crashed during a combat mission 13 nautical miles northwest of Nhon Co while deployed to a forward base.

   All 20 personnel on board sustained fatal injuries.

   The passengers were from 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division. One of the passengers was the 1st Brigade's Roman Catholic Chaplain, Major William J. Barragy.

   Eyewitnesses agreed, for the most part, that there were flames coming from the rear of the aircraft and it seemed to have no forward airspeed and was spinning and falling straight down. The technical report suggests that the combining transmission failed due to excessive heat and the resulting fire causing the number two engine drive shaft to separate. The fire may have been ingested into the remaining engine causing a loss of power, stability augmentation systems (SAS) and the aircraft electrical systems. There is evidence that the pilot attempted to flare the aircraft prior to impact to no avail. The aircraft crashed on its left side and was consumed by the post crash fire.

   Of the 20 personnel who received fatal injuries, 5 soldiers were from 147th ASHC.

   The last known location of 64-13138 was in the Republic of Vietnam.

   Aircraft status: Crashed.