Helicopter UH-1H 69-15184

Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15184
The Army purchased this helicopter 0370
Total flight hours at this point: 00000627
Date: 12/06/1970 MIA-POW file reference number: 1682
Incident number: 701206021ACD Accident case number: 701206021 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: B/158 AVN
The station for this helicopter was Camp Evans in Over Water
Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 2 . . Passengers = 0
costing 334345
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: 1682 ()
Loss to Inventory
Crew: TAYLOR, WALTER JOSEPH JR;

Crew Members:
AC W2 MCATEE GC
P W1 NEAL PH
CE SP4 EVANOFF ALVIN LEE KIA
G PFC TAYLOR WALTER JOSEPH JR BNR

REFNO Synopsis:
AYLOR, WALTER JOSEPH JR. Name: Walter Joseph Taylor, Jr. Rank/Branch: E3/US Army Unit: Company B, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Date of Birth: 30 October 1947 Home City of Record: Moss Point MS Date of Loss: 06 December 1970 Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 160903N 1081308E (BZ013850) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 4 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1M Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing) REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: On December 6, 1970, PFC Joseph Taylor was serving as a door gunner on a UH1M helicopter when it crashed into the South China Sea near the Da Nang Harbor. The aircraft failed to recover from a very steep dive being maneuvered. (Note: The UH1M, was not a particularly common version of the Huey used in Vietnam. The M model was essentially the same as a UH1C, with the addition of a more powerful engine.) PFC Taylor was last seen by the aircraft commander about one minute prior to the crash of the aircraft. Upon impact with the water the helicopter exploded and burned. Rescue teams recovered the pilot and aircraft commander and several days later, the body of the crew chief. Navy divers also recovered a portion of the aircraft, but no trace of Taylor was found. It was the opinion of the U.S. Army that Taylor died on December 6, 1970. Because his body was not recovered, Taylor is listed among the nearly 2500 Americans missing from the Vietnam war

Accident Summary:

THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN A FORMATION OF UH-1H'S ON A FLIGHT FROM DANANG, RVN TO QUANG TRI, RVN. THE PURPOSE OF THE MISSION IS CLASSIFIED. THE FLIGHT OF 4 DEPARTED THE REFUELING FACILITY AT MARBLE MOUNTAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 0935 HOURS AND MADE A STOP AT THE HELICOPTER PAD AT XXIV CORPS HEADQUARTERS TO PICKUP SOME EQUIPMENT. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED FROM THE XXIV CORPS PAD AT APPROXIMATELY 0945 HOURS WITH AIRCRAFT 69-15184 FLYING IN NUMBER 3 POSITION, VERY LOOSE TRAIL FORMATION WITH 30-60 SECONDS SEPARATION BETWEEN AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT TOOK OFF FROM XXIV CORPS WITH THE CARGO DOORS CLOSED. AS THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED ACROSS THE DANANG BAY TO THE NORTH, CW2 MCATEE NOTICED A DESTROYER IN THE BAY. HE VEERED TO THE RIGHT OF THE FLIGHT PATH AND DESCENDED TO AN ALTITUDE OF APPROXIMATELY 1 TO 5 FEET ABOVE THE WATER. WHILE IN THIS FLIGHT ENVELOPE, THE CREW CHIEF AND DORR GUNNER OPENED THE CARGO DOORS OF THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLOWN PARALLEL TO THE PORT SIDE OF THE DESTROYER. UPON REACHING THE STERN OF THE SHIP, CW2 MCATEE MADE A CYCLIC CLIMB TO APPROXIMATELY 200'. HE DECREASED AIRSPEED TO APPROXIMATELY 40 KNOTS AT THE TOP OF THE CLIMB AND EXECUTED A SHARP LEFT TURN. UPON COMPLETION OF THE TURN, CW2 MCATEE BEGAN A POWER DIVE, HIS FLIGHT PATH WAS PARALLEL TO THE STARBOARD SIDE OF THE DESTROYER. WHILE IN THE DESCENDING ATTITUDE, THE AIRSPEED INCREASED TO 95 TO 100 KNOTS. CW2 MCATEE AND WO1 NEAL FAILED TO RECOVER FROM THE DESCENT AND IMPACTED WITH THE WATER. A FIRE AND LOW ORDER EXPLOSION RESULTED. THE IMPACT WAS MADE WITH LEVEL SKIDS, INDICATING THAT RECOVERY FROM THE DIVE WAS ATTEMPTED. THE ATTEMPTED RECOVERY WAS UNSECCESSFUL DUE TO EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED AND A FAILURE ON THE PART OF THE PILOTS TO REACT TO A HAZARDOUS AIRCRAFT ATTITUDE. CW2 MCATEE WAS OCCUPYING THE LEFT SEAT AND HE ESCAPED THROUGH THE LEFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. WO1 NEAL OCCUPIED THE RIGHT SEAT. THE ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE AND TOP OF THE PILOT'S COMPARTMENT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND HE EXITED THROUGH THE TOP OF THE HELICOPTER WAS SUMBERGED WHEN THE EXITS WERE ACCOMPLISHED. NEITHER THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER OR PILOT SAW THE REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE CREW. APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE AFTER THE CRASH, THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER AND PILOT WERE RESCUED FROM THE WATER BY A BOAT FROM THE DESTROYER AND TAKEN ABOARD THE HOSPITAL SHIP USS SANCTUARY, WHICH WAS ANCHORED SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS AWAY. SMALL FRAGMENTS OF THE VARIOUS AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLIES REMAINED ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER FOR A MATTER OF SECONDS. WITHIN ONE TO TWO MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT, ALL DEBRIS AND WRECKAGE HAD SUNK BELOW THE SURFACE. NO SIGHTING WAS EVER MADE OF THE ENLISTED CREW MEMBERS DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON OF 6 DECEMBER 1970. VARIOUS PORTIONS OF THE WRECKAGE WERE RECOVERED DURING THE WEEK BUT EFFORTS, BY NAVY DIVERS, TO RECOVER THE REMAINS OF THE CREW CHIEF AND DOOR GUNNER WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. ON 10 DEC 70, THE BODY OF THE CREW CHIEF, SP4 EVANOFF WAS RECOVERED FROM THE SHORELINE WHERE IT HAD BEEN CARRIED BY THE CURRENT. TO DATE, THE BODY OF THE DOOR GUNNER HAS NOT BEEN RECOVERED.\\

This record was last updated on 05/25/1998

The following is crew member information for this incident:

Name: SP4 Alvin Lee Evanoff
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 12/06/1970 while performing the duty of Crew Chief.
Age at death: 21.2
Date of Birth: 09/07/1949
Home City: Collinsville, IL
Service: regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: B/158 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 06W-110
Short Summary: Was the CE on a Huey that crashed off Da Nang. His body was recoved later.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 69-15184
SSN: 275408774
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 67N2F = UH-1 Helicopter Repairer
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: vehicular accident
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: crew chief
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 02/14/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Quang Nam Province I Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died while missing
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Relgion: Protestant - no denominational preference
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: enlisted personnel
This record was last updated on 08/27/1997

Name: PFC Walter Joseph Taylor, Jr.
Status: Body Not Recovered from an incident on 12/06/1970 while performing the duty of Gunner.
Age at death: 23.1
Date of Birth: 10/30/1947
Home City: Moss Point, MS
Service: regular component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: B/158 AVN 101 ABN
Major organization: 101st Airborne Division
Service: U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 06W-111
Short Summary: Was the gunner on a Huey that crashed off Da Nang. He was never seen after the crash.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 69-15184
SSN: 426920156
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 67A1F = Aircraft Maintenance Apprentice
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: vehicular accident
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: door gunner
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 06/30/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Quang Nam Province I Corps.

Additional information about this casualty:
TAYLOR, WALTER JOSEPH JR. Name: Walter Joseph Taylor, Jr. Rank/Branch: E3/US Army Unit: Company B, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division Date of Birth: 30 October 1947 Home City of Record: Moss Point MS Date of Loss: 06 December 1970 Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 160903N 1081308E (BZ013850) Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 4 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1M Other Personnel in Incident: (none missing) REMARKS: SYNOPSIS: On December 6, 1970, PFC Joseph Taylor was serving as a door gunner on a UH1M helicopter when it crashed into the South China Sea near the Da Nang Harbor. The aircraft failed to recover from a very steep dive being maneuvered. (Note: The UH1M, was not a particularly common version of the Huey used in Vietnam. The M model was essentially the same as a UH1C, with the addition of a more powerful engine.) PFC Taylor was last seen by the aircraft commander about one minute prior to the crash of the aircraft. Upon impact with the water the helicopter exploded and burned. Rescue teams recovered the pilot and aircraft commander and several days later, the body of the crew chief. Navy divers also recovered a portion of the aircraft, but no trace of Taylor was found. It was the opinion of the U.S. Army that Taylor died on December 6, 1970. Because his body was not recovered, Taylor is listed among the nearly 2500 Americans missing from the Vietnam war.

Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Negro
Relgion: Protestant - no denominational preference
The following information is secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: enlisted personnel
This record was last updated on 08/27/1997

The following is Goldbook information on US Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 69-15184
It is provided here as an ESTIMATE of the history of this helicopter and is not intended to be the final authority.
This helicopter was purchased by the US Army in 0370.
Please provide any additional information on this helicopter to the VHPA.

DATE  FLT HRS    UIC      UNIT          AREA          POST          COUNTRY
7003   0    0 W0Y6AA INTRANSIT        IN TRANSIT                  AVCOMCTR
7004   0    0 W0Y6AA OS TO CONUS      ITR CONUS                   AVCOMITR
7005  84   84 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7006 111  195 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7007 118  313 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7008  62  375 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7009 103  478 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7010  59  537 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN     
7011  90  627 WFJ4B0 COB 158BN 101AC  VIETNAM                     RVN

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Printed from databases on: 05/21/2000

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