CH-3E MID AIR COLLISION WITH LAOTIAN T-28
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As I remember the story: They were parked on the east side of the runway next to the old mill building, while all the rest were on west side. They decided to move over, which involved getting permission from the tower. This was always problematic -- half the time we couldn't understand the guy in the tower. (This was also the tower that would clear the pathway across the mid-point of the runway by firing an AK down the runway!) So they got permission, and took some time getting airborne to a hover, then started moving very slowly across the runway.
In the meantime, tower without checking and thinking that they had cleared the runway, cleared a Laotian T-28, that had just done a hot reload of bombs, for takeoff. As the H-3 hovered slowly about mid-runway, here comes the T-28 across the hump in the runway, bearing down on the H-3. Seeing he couldn't takeoff the T-28 pilot, started veering to the right. Fortunately the H-3 was hovering high. The T-28 tail fin nipped the underside of the nose wiping the electronics door and breaking the nose gear scissors. It was said that the FE in the cabin door looked up to see the T-28 approaching and was speechless in shock, and the pilots never saw anything until the hit.
The T-28 went off the side of the runway, continued for a time to a stop (sturdy old bird). 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 pulled the ring and was fired up a couple of hundred feet, parachute opens but he hit the ground hard (some said he landed on his head!). He spent a day or two in the hospital, then was back flying his normal twenty-five sorties a day.
(Harold Brattland-ROTORHEAD Contributor)
I remember the incident. It took place during the Laotian refugee movement of January 1970 on the Long Tien (L98) runway. We had an average of 10 21st SOS CH-3s and Air Rescue HH-53s operating on that mission at one time plus some Air America helos too.
You are right about the incident that resulted in the CH-3 looking like that. Our two Ops officers tried to hover across the runway without adequately checking and they downed a Laotian T-28 on takeoff run. And, as you said, the pilot got out with only minor injuries. A testimony to the Yankee extraction system in the T-28.
(Jerry Kibby)
The bird was hit by a T-28 on takeoff at Long Tien. The bird was in a hover when it got hit. The cockpit armor plate at the floor kept the damage to a minimum. The door ripped off and the nose gear scissors was broken. As you can see the patch to the plexi-glass. I think I wired the scissors together. We all cleaned up our drawers and headed for home. I think the max air speed was about 50Kts. The T-28 crashed off the right side and just missed the village. The pilot ejected just in time, and only received scratches on the back of his neck.
The folks streamed back and forth across the runway up near the end where the Karst is. Whenever there was a takeoff or landing they would shoot their AK-47 to clear the runway. In the picture it was the lower left by the hootches, where the T-28 crashed on the road that runs in front of them. (Harvey Metzler)
In the meantime, tower without checking and thinking that they had cleared the runway, cleared a Laotian T-28, that had just done a hot reload of bombs, for takeoff. As the H-3 hovered slowly about mid-runway, here comes the T-28 across the hump in the runway, bearing down on the H-3. Seeing he couldn't takeoff the T-28 pilot, started veering to the right. Fortunately the H-3 was hovering high. The T-28 tail fin nipped the underside of the nose wiping the electronics door and breaking the nose gear scissors. It was said that the FE in the cabin door looked up to see the T-28 approaching and was speechless in shock, and the pilots never saw anything until the hit.
The T-28 went off the side of the runway, continued for a time to a stop (sturdy old bird). 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 pulled the ring and was fired up a couple of hundred feet, parachute opens but he hit the ground hard (some said he landed on his head!). He spent a day or two in the hospital, then was back flying his normal twenty-five sorties a day.
(Harold Brattland-ROTORHEAD Contributor)
I remember the incident. It took place during the Laotian refugee movement of January 1970 on the Long Tien (L98) runway. We had an average of 10 21st SOS CH-3s and Air Rescue HH-53s operating on that mission at one time plus some Air America helos too.
You are right about the incident that resulted in the CH-3 looking like that. Our two Ops officers tried to hover across the runway without adequately checking and they downed a Laotian T-28 on takeoff run. And, as you said, the pilot got out with only minor injuries. A testimony to the Yankee extraction system in the T-28.
(Jerry Kibby)
The bird was hit by a T-28 on takeoff at Long Tien. The bird was in a hover when it got hit. The cockpit armor plate at the floor kept the damage to a minimum. The door ripped off and the nose gear scissors was broken. As you can see the patch to the plexi-glass. I think I wired the scissors together. We all cleaned up our drawers and headed for home. I think the max air speed was about 50Kts. The T-28 crashed off the right side and just missed the village. The pilot ejected just in time, and only received scratches on the back of his neck.
The folks streamed back and forth across the runway up near the end where the Karst is. Whenever there was a takeoff or landing they would shoot their AK-47 to clear the runway. In the picture it was the lower left by the hootches, where the T-28 crashed on the road that runs in front of them. (Harvey Metzler)
posted by Jim Moore at 1:16 PM
1 Comments:
I remember the incident well. We were also supporting the same P & P mission that the H-3's were on.I was the flight engineer on one of the HH-53's behind the T-28 that was taking off. I was accomplishing the before take off check list when our co-pilot said "whoa, look at that takeoff". I looked up and saw the T-28 after it clipped the H-3. I didn't see the T-28 after it the H-3, but I assumed that it got airborne and the pilot bailed out after it got to bailout altitude.
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