CH-3E Midair in Laos 1970


	UH-1F Eglin AFB 1966 UH-1F DMAFB, AZ 1967 UH-1F Malmstrom AFB 1967 UH-1F Eglin AFB 1969 UH-1F Edwards AFB 1971 UH-1F Ellisworth AFB 1971 UH-1N FT. Bragg 1973 HH-1H Hill AFB 1974 UH-1F F.E. Warren 1975 UH-1F Ellsworth AFB 1982 UH-1F Whiteman AFB 1982 UH-1N Bahamas 1984 UH-1 Ellsworth AFB 1986 UH-1N Edwards-Jan-1991 UH-1N Edwards-Oct-1991 UH-1N Kirtland AFB 1996 UH-1N 1998 UH-1N F.E. Warren AFB 1999 UH-1N Kirtland AFB 2002 TH-lH Ft. Rucker 2009 UH-1N Malmstrom AFB 2010 UH-1N Kirtland AFB 2011 UH-1N Minot AFB 2013 CH-3C Malmstrom AFB 1965 CH-3C Sheppard AFB Mar. 1967 CH-3 Sheppard AFB Nov. 1967 CH-3E Midair in Laos 1970 HH-3E Korea 1973 HH-3E Elmendorf AFB 1974 HH-3E Iceland 1979 CH-3E Patrick AFB, 1984 HH-3E Osan 1984 HH-3E 29-Palms 1988 HH-3E Kadena 1989 CH-3E DMAFB 1989 H-5G Ladd AFB 1951 H-5H Maxwell AFB 1953 H-5 New York 1958 H-13G Niagara Falls 1955 H-13 Bryan AFB, TX 1957 H-19A San Marcos 1952 H-19A O'Neill, NB. 1953 H-19B Alexandria, LA. 1954 H-19B Austria 1954 H-19B France 1954 H-19B Korea 1954 H-19B March AFB 1954 H-19B Rhine Main AB 1955 H-19B Eglin AFB 1955 H-19 Skaneateles Lake, NY 1956 H-19 Ashiya Japan 1957 H-19 Edwards AFB 1957 H-19 Niagra Falls 1959 H-19 Sheppard H-19B Loring AFB 1960 H-19 Beal AFB 1963 H-19 Larson AFB 1963 H-19 Saigon, RVN 1964 YH-21 Thule AB 1953 H-21 Goose Bay 1954 H-21A San Marcos TX 1955 H-21B Tennesse 1955 H-21 San Diego, CA 1956 H-21 Alaska 1957 H-21 Goose Bay 1958. SH-21 Greenland 1958 H-21 Elmendorf AFB 1958 H-21 Dugway Proving Grnd. 1958 H-21 Goose Bay 1959 H-21 Greenland 1959 CH-21B Otis AFB 1959 H-21 Indian Springs AAF 1961 H-21 Luke AFB 1961 H-23B Moody AFB 1953 H-43A James Connally AFB 1959 H-43B Loring AFB 1961 H-43B Westover AFB 1961 HH-43B MacDill AFB, FL 1964 HH-43B Stead AFB 1965 HH-43B Clark AB, PI 1966 H-43 Sheppard AFC, TX 1966 HH-43B Phan Rang 1968 HH-43B MacDill AFB 1969 HH-43B Hill AFB 1973 HH-53C Eglin AFB 1969 CH-53C Germany 1975 CH-53C Germany 1976 HH-53C Woodbridge 1977 HH-53C Kadena AB 1979 HH-53B Kirtland AFB 1981 HH-53C Kirtland AFB 1982 MH-53 Philippines 1984 CH-53C Pope AFB 1984 HH-53C Hickam AFB, HI 1985 HH-53C Hill AFB 1986 HH-53H Nellis AFB 1986 MH-53J Korea 1995 HH-53B Vance AFB 1996 HH-53B Cherry Point 1998 MH-53J Ft. Bragg 1999 MH-53M RAF Mildenhall 2000 MH-53 Durango CO 2002 MH-53M USNS Kanawha 2002 MH-53M Afghanistan 2003 MH-53M FOL Hurlburt Fld 2003 MH-53M Kuwait 2003 MH-53M Hurlburt Fld. 2007 UH-60A Pope AFB 1987 HH-60G New York 1991 MH-60G Antigua 1991 HH-60G Great Salt Lake 1992 HH-60G Davis-Monthan AFB 1994 HH-60G Korea 1994 HH-60G Indian Springs 1998 HH-60G Al Jabar AB 1999 HH-60G Avon Park 2001 HH-60G Mt. Hood 2002 HH-60G Afghanistan 2002 HH-60G Afghanistan 2003 HH-60G Afghanistan 2004 HH-60G Angel Fire, NM 2005 HH-60G Kandahar 2007 HH-60G Afghanistan 2009 HH-60G Okinawa 2013 HH-60G Lakenheath 2014 HH-60G Lakenheath 2014 1 HH-60G Lakenheath 2014 2 Ellsworth AFB 1955 Hawaii crash 1963 Patuxent River NAS 1960 Randolph AFB 1957 Spokane River, WA 1959 Tyndall AFB 1961 Wright-Patterson 1956 Spokane River 1972

The incident took place in January 1970 on the Long Tien (L98) runway. The helicopter had requested permission to hover taxi across the runway. With the language issue the problem started when the tower gave a Lao T-28 clearance to takeoff. The helicopter was hovering mid runway when the T-28 came over the hump in the runway. Seeing he couldn't takeoff the T-28 pilot, started veering to the right. Fortunately the CH-3E was hovering high. The T-28 tail fin nipped the underside of the nose wiping the electronics door and breaking the main gear scissors. The T-28 went off the side of the runway, continued for a time to a stop. These T-28s had just been modified with the Yankee Extraction System, similar to the A-1s. So after the bird stopped, the Lao pilot decided he was supposed to use it, so he pulled the ring and was fired up a couple of hundred feet, parachute opens but he hit the ground hard receiving minor injuries.

The cockpit armor plate at the floor kept the damage to a minimum. The door ripped off and the main gear scissors was broken. I think I wired the scissors together. We all cleaned up our drawers and headed for home. (Harvey Meltzer)

(Courtesy of Jay Merz)

The wreckage of the T-28 is on both sides of the village road. I took this photo a month or so after the crash. (Jay Merz)

We had 10 CH-3E's evacuating thousands of refugees from several sites east of the Plain de Jars for about a week. I arrived from that mission an hour or so after the Mid Air. My Acft needed some maint we could not get in Laos so I escorted the damaged CH-3E back to Udorn that night at about 40 knots. I understand it was very windy in the cockpit of the damaged bird. (Jay Merz)

"FREEDOM ISN'T FREE"

~SOMEONE PAYS FOR YOU AND ME~

"HELICOPTERS" - THE ONLY WAY TO FLY

~NEVER FORGOTTEN~