From John Donaldson.

On May 6, 1970, a U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D (tail number 66-16707) from C Company (Assault Helicopter), 158th Aviation Battalion (Airmobile), 101st Airborne Division was involved in a mid-air collision with a U.S. Army UH-1H (tail number 68-15663) from B Company of the same unit.

Both aircraft were in a flight of several other helicopters, laying a smoke screen on a landing zone near enemy positions in the mountains west of Tun Tavern and LZ Langley in Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.

Aircraft 663 was crewed by aircraft commander CWO Richard C. Worthington, pilot WO1 Robert L. Kirk, crew chief SP4 William C. Weiss, and gunner SP4 Frank S. Hernandez.

On 707 was aircraft commander CW2 Clifford E. Poe Jr., pilot WO1 Roger B. Baxter, crew chief Allen G. Kinne, and gunner Allen Nohl.

Nohl was a maintenance specialist there for the experience of the assault and was flying in the crew chief’s position (left side of the aircraft). He was the only survivor.

Both aircraft were smoke ships. Their mission was to provide cover for the lift aircraft by using oil generated smoke and CS gas. The ships were being utilized in Landing Zone Miller (XD 973360).

They collided while flying in formation laying the smoke screen for a combat assault. CW2 Poe was leading, with CW2 Worthington echelon right when they collided. CWO Poe made a turn to avoid the CS gas and the rotor blades of his aircraft hit the gas bird about the area of the fuel cell near the crew chief’s position. The aircraft exploded in mid-air.

CWO Poe’s aircraft hit the ground and started to burn. Nohl, the maintenance guy, was ejected from the aircraft before it hit the ground. Nohl found that Poe was conscious and attempting to get him out of the aircraft. The aircraft exploded and Nohl was knocked clear of the blast.

Nohl confirmed that CW2 Worthington's helicopter skid had struck the main rotor of his helicopter. He indicated that he had not seen any hostile fire. A search team was sent to the site on the same day (May 6) and found 2 bodies which were identified as the remains of WO Kirk and SP4 Weiss.

There were no signs of anyone having left the crash site area. It was believed that there were no survivors of the crash. SGT Hernandez and CW2 Worthington were classified Killed/Body Not Recovered.

A friend who spent several hours with CWO Poe the night before the accident said Poe had a premonition of his death. Poe had two or three days before DEROS (return to the U.S.) and had asked to be replaced on the mission.

MAJ Gerald Lord, the Phoenix Company Commander, wanted to replace Poe but was ordered by the 158th Battalion Commander to have Poe fly the mission.

There are two personal accounts of this incident.

First account from Allen Nohl: “I received 1st degree burns to my hands and face and 2nd degree burns to 30% of my back and buttocks areas. Amazingly, I had no broken bones. I was rescued by a rope lowered to me from the command helicopter for the mission of that day. I tied the rope around my torso under my arms and they lifted me out of the jungle somewhat bouncing and crawling through the jungle treetops as they pulled me along. They flew with me hanging below the aircraft to the nearest fire base which I think was 10 to 15 miles away.

They landed and loaded me on a stretcher and placed me in that same helicopter and then I was flown to a medivac hospital.”

Second personal account of the incident from vhpa.org member Ted Irvine: “The mission as I remember was part of an ongoing operation called Project Delta which was the prelude to and the recon for Lam Son 719, the Laotian invasion. On that day the plan was to insert a large force of ARVN on a hill top near the Laotian border. The plan was to prepare an adjoining hill top with artillery CS gas while ‘smokies’ laid down cover for us to insert on the hill without the gas.

Someone messed up and arty prepped the wrong hill. None of us had gasmasks and we were going into the LZ at least 3 abreast. No one could see and it is a testimony to the skill of the pilots and crew that more of us did not die in that cloud of gas. All the while this is going on the ‘smokies were doing their job weaving the smoke under us as we flew in and out of the LZ.

I think that we flew in from the east and coming out did a u turn and exited back the way we came. As we were coming out we crossed over the ‘smokies’ as they were flying north to south weaving, one behind the other.

I heard my crew chief yell ‘NO SHIT’ and looked to the rear and saw the lead ‘smokie’ going nose first into the trees. The trailing ship looked like it went nose up, almost in a flare, and rolled to the right and into the trees. It was obviously a mid-air collision, but I don't know who was trailing who. But the following ship struck the tail rotor of the lead ship. It is my opinion that the CS gas and the tactical confusion that day were the direct cause of the mid-air. I do not recall any significant enemy fire that day although it certainly was a possibility.” [Taken from vhpa.org and phoenix158.org]