doorgunner
Confirmation of a Chinook crash at Kontum Airfield in 1972
Because of my Amnesia it has taken me years to read some of the Memories concerning the '71-'72 Battle of Kontum. Tonight 5/23/2022 I read another Memory. It filled in many gaps in my memory, sad to say, but still appreciative.
Quote:
Rob Schwab
Crash of the VNAF Chinook Carrying Montagnard Dependents from Ben Het
The Border Ranger camp at Ben Het came under attack early in the Battle for Kontum. US Army Chinooks were enlisted to fly out as many Montagnard dependents as possible, after delivering loads of ammunition and provisions to the camp. US (John Paul Vann’s) efforts to get VNAF to devote its own Chinooks to the effort were successful after the first few days. When the first VNAF Chinook came to the Kontum landing strip with refugees aboard, I was there, as a (civilian) CORDS Province Development Officer. Thankfully most of the Montagnards had gone down the ramp when something odd happened--the Chinook started bouncing up and down, harder and harder. The pilot or crew chief closed the ramp and at the same the aircraft lifted off, but unsteadily.
It reached about 250 feet, stopped its ascent, then started nodding in place, fore and aft. Soon after that, it began to spin horizontally, still in place and still nodding as it revolved. The rate of spin increased, and several Montagnards still inside were thrown by centrifugal force against the raised ramp, and over it, falling to their deaths.
The pilot managed to slow then almost stop the spin but not the nodding. Then the nose went down and did not come back up, the aircraft tilted to the right, and fell out of the sky, at least partially still under power. It was headed toward the group of CORDS military advisers I was with, and we took off running and looking back at the same time. It fell well short of us—but it fell on a VNAF Huey that had just touched down, also loaded with refugees from Ben Het.
It was inconceivable that anyone could have survived on either aircraft, so the natural thought was not to go near the crash site because there might be an explosion.
But one of us did the right thing, a heroic thing under the circumstances. The mess sergeant, an overweight Guamanian whose name I cannot remember, ran to the crash, disappeared in the smoke and fire for a few seconds, and came running back hell-for-leather. He was holding a small living child by one arm.
In later conversations with chopper pilots, I learned that what happened to the Chinook is called ‘ground resonance,’ the setting up of resonating pressure waves between chopper blades and the ground. But in this case, the bouncing must have damaged something on the chopper’s controls, so that even when the pilot got clear of the ground, the aircraft was unmanageable, and the results tragic.
Rob Schwab
Thursday, November 01, 2012 at 11:19:10 (EDT)
Below is my Memory I posted on this site:
doorgunner
Kontum Airfield
My Amensia blocks most of my memories. 1972(?)
A CH47 piloted by ARVNs and carrying around 100 women and children landed near the refueling area(?)
I don't remember the term, but the Chinook began slightly bouncing up and down on its landing gear...then the bouncing became violent to the point the Chinook tore itself apart exploding in flames.
The next day our crew was given a handful of burlap sacks to collect body parts. Among the parts I collected while sifting thru pieces of fuselage was the arm of a child. Even though the body was charred, the child's arm was spotless-not even a blister. It was so sad.
Then I noticed my feet began to hurt badly. I and the crew looked down at our boots and the soles were melting because of the intense heat that the ground had soaked up. It took another day or two for the ground to cool enough for us to continue the recovery.
doorgunner
U.S.A. - Friday, September 16, 2022 at 13:16:42 (EDT)
It's a strange feeling to have something so terrible confirmed. The "Mountainyards" (our pronounciation) were kind wonderful people always greeting us with a smile mixed with tears. The Men were the fiercest Fighters you could ask for.
Thanks R. Schwab for confirming my nightmare to be reality...I wish it wasn't so.
doorgunner <N/A>
N/A, N/A U.S.A. - Friday, September 23, 2022 at 23:05:02 (EDT)