Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopter 90-00224.

90-00224

Unit patch from Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, Washington Army Reserve, circa 2003.

Property of the

Washington Army Reserve

1991 - 2004

Unit patch from Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, Washington Army Reserve, while deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Liberation, circa 2003.

90-00224, Boeing D model kit number M3376, was a CH-47D helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 2 October 1991. As of 22 June 1998, 90-00224 had accumulated 903.4 D model hours and 4,324.0 total aircraft hours. 90-00224 was a conversion from the original C model Chinook 68-15817. On 7 November 1990, 90-00224 was inducted into the D model program, converted, and initially assigned to Company A - "Hook-ers", 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, located in the State of Washington. Shortly after the "War on Terrorism" was declared, 90-00224 was deployed to the Middle East Theater in support of Operation Iraqi Liberation. On 3 October 2003, near Irbil, Iraq, a freak wind storm blew the back end of the helicopter up and over the wheel chalks and released the parking brake. 90-00224 rolled forward and then turned around 240 degrees and slid down hill backwards. Both aft landing gear and both aft landing gear doors were ripped off the airframe. It took a bulldozer and a crane to get it on level ground without further damage The Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART) then team took the landing gear from 90-00212 - which was in Phase maintenance at the time, along with parts from the wrecked Iranian CH-47C (P-043) located at Taji. The crew of 90-00224 - Standardization Flight Engineer Instructor (SI) SSG Sundown Bova and Flight Engineer (FE) SGT Don Hattaway - fixed it and they flew it back to Balad, Iraq. As of 1 January 2002, this aircraft was 33.2 years old. As of January 2004, the last known location of 90-00224 was in Iraq, assigned to the Company A, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment. Aircraft status: Flyable.

90-00224 after a freak accident in Iraq, 2003.

In early 2003, 90-00224 deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Liberation. On 3 October 2003 near Irbil, Iraq, a freak wind storm blew the back end of the helicopter up and over the wheel chalks and released the parking brake. 90-00224 rolled forward and then turned around 240 degrees and slid down hill backwards. Both aft landing gear and both aft landing gear doors were ripped off the airframe. It took a bulldozer and a crane to get it on level ground without further damage The Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART) then team took the landing gear from 90-00212 - which was in Phase maintenance at the time, along with parts from the Iranian CH-47C (P-043) located at Taji. The crew of 90-00224 - Standardization Flight Engineer Instructor (SI) SSG Sundown Bova and Flight Engineer (FE) SGT Don Hattaway - fixed it and they flew it back to Balad, Iraq.

Taken on 12 October 2003, the following photographs show 90-00224 after the repairs to the aft landing gear areas were accomplished and the aircraft was returned to Balad. The white landing gear doors give the helicopter a unique, sporty look - seldom observed on military flying machines.

90-00224 - parked at Balad, Iraq - showing the aft landing gear repairs that were made utilizing parts from 90-00212 and a wrecked Iranian Chinook.

A photograph of 90-00224 taken in the late afternoon on 11 October 2009 on taxiway A at al-Asad, Iraq. Click-N-Go Here to view a larger version.

Commandos with the 10th Iraqi Army Division (Iraqi Army) load onto CH-47D Chinook helicopter 90-00224 at Forward Operating Base Garryowen, Iraq.

July 2010: Commandos with the 10th Iraqi Army Division (Iraqi Army) load onto CH-47D Chinook helicopter 90-00224 at Forward Operating Base Garryowen, Iraq. Click-N-Go Here to view a larger version.

This aircraft was piloted by:

CW4 Mike Jones, PC, 1992 - 1993.

CIV Alex Bromen, PC/MTP, 2008.

CIV Mark Morgan, PC/MTP, 2008.

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This aircraft was crewed by:

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Related Sites

Another Freak Incident