10 October
1968, HH-43B Tail No 58-1845 call sign Pedro 44, assigned to Detachment 1, Phan
Rang Air Base, was scrambled with the fire suppression kit (FSK) to stand by
for the emergency landing of a B-57. Pedro 44 entered a left-hand climbing turn
over the airfield when it crashed and burned, killing all 5 crewmembers
Detachment 1
of the 38th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron provided Search and Rescue
services at Phan Rang Air Base, home of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing.
 |
| HH-43B tail number 58-1845, taken by Jim Travis at Phan Rang Air Base in August 1966. |
At about
2030 (8:30 PM) on 10 Oct 1968 a B-57 aircraft declared an in-flight emergency.
Det 1 38th ARRS launched a helicopter (HH-43B tail number 58-1845, call sign
"Pedro 44") with a fire suppression kit to cover the B-57's emergency
landing. During the landing roll out of the B-57, Pedro 44 entered a left hand
climbing turn as if departing the area for return to the alert pad. Almost
simultaneously, and without any radio transmission, the helicopter crashed and
burned. Firefighting equipment and medical assistance, already on hand for the
B-57 emergency, responded immediately to the scene, extinguished the fire
within 15 seconds, and removed the crewmembers from the aircraft. None the
less, the crash inflicted fatal injuries to all five aircrew members:
• Capt Von
M. Liebernecht, Burbank, CA, Det 1, 38th ARRS, pilot
• Major
Donald R. Brooks, Decatur, GA, Det 1, 38th ARRS, copilot
• SSgt
Milard L. Bledsoe, Athens, TN, 35th CE Sqd, crewman
• TSgt Angel
Luna, San Antonio, TX, 35th USAF Dispensary, medic
• TSgt
Emmett S. Orr, Ashland, KY, 35th CE Sqd, crewman
Analysis of the wreckage determined the crash
resulted from a materiel failure which caused an in-flight disintegration of
the rotor system and loss of aircraft control.
As it
happens, the photo used at the top of this page is of HH-43B tail number 58-1845,
taken by Jim Travis at Phan Rang Air Base in August 1966. See More At http://www.virtualwall.org/dl/LunaAx01a.htm
.
