ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 77705
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| Date: | Friday 19 May 1978 |
| Time: | 09:10 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky YUH-60A Black Hawk |
| Owner/operator: | Sikorsky Helicopters |
| Registration: | 73-21650 |
| MSN: | 70/001 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Housatonic River, Stratford, Connecticut -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Stratford, Connecticut |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
The first prototype Sikorsky YUH-60A Black Hawk, 73-21650, crashed on May 19 1978 into the Housatonic River, during testing at the Sikorsky plant, Stratford, Connecticut, killing three:
Albert M. King Jr [Pilot]
John J. Pasquarello [Pilot]
John Marshall [FE]
All three fatalities were civilian employees of Sikorsky. The Subsequent Army investigation revealed that during routine maintenance the night before the fatal flight, the airspeed sensor for the tailplane actuating system was inadvertently left unconnected. As the aircraft transitioned from hover to forward flight, the tailplane did not automatically change its angle and as speed built up, it forced the helicopter's nose down until an attitude was reached from which recovery was impossible.
A manual back-up system was available and functioning, and could have been used to correct the tailplane angle, but for unexplained reasons it was not used, possibly due to failure to analyze the nature of the problem in time. Minor modifications are introduced as a result of this accident
Sources:
1. Editors, "The Black Hawks are coming...", Air International, Bromley, Kent, UK, April 1979, Volume 16, Number 4, page 168
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1973.html
3. http://armyaircrews.com/blackhawk.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housatonic_River
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_involving_military_aircraft_(1975%E2%80%931979)#1978
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Sep-2010 14:30 | ASN Archive | |
| 23-Sep-2013 11:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Sep-2013 11:25 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
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