Ch-53

Larry check this site ... http://history.navy.mil/branches/org4-2.htm ,Hope this helps..

S/F JP

Don't know where "Too Tall" Kenney is now a days, but he used to track all that sort of "shuff."
I'm pretty sure you were in a HMH-461 bird that was coming back from a Norway cruise, but cannot be sure, as I was in a "463" bird myself, but in the med, on the Guadacanal.

Hooper

Hooper

It was a 362 bird coming back from Operation Snowy Beach in Maine or some other cold a** place. A squadron mate that was on the bird sent me a copy of the Quantico Sentinel that has the picture on the front page and a story attached. Got what I needed. Thanks

'72 CH53 Crash

Are you sure it was out of Maine Attached is an article from the "Rotovue" that was sent to me after I left out New River. This aircraft was out of Oceana VA, but was a New River aircraft. No specific dates are given, but I am almost positive it was in '72.

Glenn

Glenn

It was in Maine supporting Operation Snowy Beach, it was stationed at New River. We flew off the boat in NC, refueled at NAS Oceana and crashed at NAS Norfolk.

There it is!

Larry,
The article looks like your bird to me. Dates check out?

Joe

That's the one. The picture on the Quantico Sentinel shows the bird with all kinds of foam around it. I don't remember that at all. I remember we lifted the tail section up to get it off a couple of guys and there was no foam at that time. Funny what you remember at times like that.

Larry

When the chips are down and there is a crisis, many things that happen are instantaeous. That is to say the mind is on "auto pilot" based on training, experience, or the persons natural instincts. They take over and off you go! I'll bet there's lotsa things about that day you don't recall. When I get together with my Marine friends, there are many things they remember slightly differently than I do. Who's right? Probably someplace in between, or ALL of us!
Glad you found the info you needed.

Sorry, I erred in a previous reply:
The year you speak of (1972) HMH 461 had 4 CH-53's on board the LPH 02 (Feb thru Aug). Our aviation crew was a combination of HMH 461, HMH 362 & H&MS 26, New River MCAS.
While we were deployed, HMH 461 also had four A/C deploed to Norway. The only CH-53 units from MCAS New River that could have participated from New River had to be HMH 461 or 362.

Hooper

Something just popped into my head. (No vodka cause I'm on anti biotics).
There was a CH-53 crash @ NS Norfolk at the time you mentioned. I'm pretty sure it was the next squadron deploying or whatever (that shoulda been HMH 362), but they had a band on board. The A/C was toast, but everyone got out...does that ring a bell?

Hooper:)

Hooper

No, we were not a band, but we had enough guys on board to form one. We were the enlisted guys from HMM-263 that were not allowed to fly home on our own birds cause of transmission problems. We flew on the 53 and the rest is history.

I guess one could ask "Wimpy" Whimmler, as he was the CO of one of the next deploying squadrons, or John McMenamin who was MABS 24 CO when what you described, transpired. They were @ New River and surely cognizant of that sort of thing.

A Thought...

To refresh some memories:

HMM 263, attached to Mag 26, was stationed at Quantico at this time having been "posted" there upon return from Vietnam.

I suspect that the final intended destination of the CH53 was Quantico. It would have been normal procedure to hot refuel at NAS Oceana as NAS Norfolk could not hot refuel at that time.

But 263 was all "phrogs" unless they went composite for a cruise...which might go back to what I mentioned before.
There's something in the back of my brain housing group that I cannot seem to get to come out, but bells and whistles can be heard.
Whimpy Whimmler was in New Orleans, assaulting the top of a Holiday Inn there, trying to erradicate a sniper during that time frame, so cannot use him for a reference...drat!:eek:

Crash Info

Too Tall was a Sikorsky Sales Rep before I retired in 1987. He may still be there. Anyway Sikorsky Field Service would have a record of all those Sikorsky Products. SF PM

A CH-53D of HMH-362 suffered an incident on the 28th of January 1972, which led to it being written off. Its BuNo was 157744. You will need the date and BuNo to get details of the accident report.

Hope that might be of use

Noefolk Crash

The crash in question (I believe) was a CH-53 filled with a number of people, many of them HMM-263 Avionics personnel. We were returning from a cold weather Op( don't remember the name). I was on the aircraft and I recall hearing a high pitch scream shortly after taking off from refueling (it was the hydraulics system failing). My next memory was like the ending of the movie "Wild Bunch"--everything went into slow motion. Looking out the window on the oppisite side of the aircraft the horizon did a 180 and I felt as if we were falling out of the sky( we were). The plane crashed and broke into several pieces and yes the tail boom did in fact land on at least one Marine (the 263 Avionics Chief MSgt??? The only thing that saved him from being crushed was that it had rained quite a bit and we went in on a muddy field. I can still recall the impression in the ground that he left under the boom.
I also remember a Full Bird Col. in his Greens running to help us across the muddy field along with several other personnel. As I recall, it happened in the late afternoon very close to the road that funnels traffic leaving the base.
Several of the passengers were taken to the hospital but the majority of us could still walk and later that night a chartered bus took us back to Quantico (we were in the hanger accross from HMX at the time) at 0 dark thirty in the morning. My most vivid memory was how p-off I was that the only people to greet us was the duty officer and his duty clerk which was also the way we got back to our living quarters--they shuttled us in their personnel autos. No Co, no XO, no Sgt.Maj.
I remember seeing photos of the crash in a Norfolk newpaper shortly therafter but I have never been able to track down a copy. I thought that I had skated in the injury department but I go in for back surgery in two weeks for a compressed spine/stenosis that the doctors feel can be traced back to this incident. Better living through chemistry is no longer an option.
Hope this helps all who are interested----ranjohn

RE: CH-53 Crash Norfolk

I live in Norfolk and have access to historical copies of the local paper, the Virginian Pilot.

Our main library, which keeps all copies of the Pilot on microfilm and digital, is in the process of moving to a new and better facility so the information is not readily available.

However, after the move is complete, I will contact Norm Maas, a friend and head librarian, to retrieve the article or articles.

I should have thought of this sooner.

Ray

Thanks, John & I would both like a copy.

Larry

Ch-53 Crash

Ray; Thank you for your kind offer. I will be happy to send you a check for any charges and postage to get a copy of the paper and /or article.

Larry sent me what he had--the caption inder the picture read "Someone was riding with us" man that a fact--looking at the picture i don't see how we were all lucky enough to survive.

Thanks again--John

News Articles from The Virginian-Pilot

I recovered these articles this afternoon from the Norfolk Public Library.

I attach the transcripts because the files were created from microfilm that is difficult to read.

The transcripts are of my doing, so any errors belong to me.