Badham Announces House Inquiry Into Crash-Prone Copter

Congress will investigate the mammoth CH-53E Super Stallion military helicopter, which has been plagued by a series of crashes that have claimed 15 lives over the past two years, Rep. Robert E. Badham said Wednesday.

Badham (R-Newport Beach) said House Armed Services Committee Chairman Les Aspin (D-Wis.) Wednesday granted his request for an inquiry into six major crashes of the $24-million, three-engine helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Co. of Stratford, Conn.

His announcement came on the same day that an Air Force version of the CH-53E’s predecessor, the smaller, two-engine Sea Stallion, crashed on a low-level training mission near Las Vegas, killing one serviceman and injuring 21 others on board.

Inquiry Could Grow

Although the investigation will focus on the CH-53E, the military’s largest and most powerful helicopter, Badham said, it could grow to include the earlier Sea Stallions, depending on what caused Wednesday’s crash, which occurred shortly after midnight.

Badham requested the investigation on May 13, four days after four Marines from the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station were killed when a Super Stallion crashed during a training exercise at Twentynine Palms.

A preliminary investigation into the cause of the crash has given no indication of a mechanical failure, Badham said, “and if this is the case, it’s something that should be made public so we don’t lower the morale of the people who fly them and instill fear” in residents who live around the Tustin base, where 42 of the 90 CH-53Es now in use by the Navy and Marines are stationed.

“My idea for the inquiry is to get all of the information and lay it on the table so the neighbors, the air crews and Sikorsky can all be of one mind (as) to the efficacy of the bird,” Badham said.

The Super Stallion, which can lift 32,000 pounds or carry 55 combat troops, underwent modifications last fall to correct tail-rotor-drive system problems that were believed to have contributed to several of the accidents.

Assured of Corrections

Badham said that during hearings last March before a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, he was given “very heavy assurances” by the Marine Corps and Sikorsky “that all of the potential engineering difficulties had been isolated and fixed.”

“So when the May 9 crash occurred, I thought we have to wait and see if it (the cause) was mechanical or human. And if it’s mechanical, then we’ve got a much bigger problem on our hands,” he added.

The CH-53E, a Marine Corps workhorse because of its hauling capacity, superseded the earlier, two-engine CH53A and D Sea Stallions in 1981. The smaller A and D models, which carry 38 passengers, are still in use, however.

Since 1969, all three versions of the CH-53 used by the Marine Corps have been involved in 21 accidents in which 105 persons were killed. Although causes have not been established for all of the crashes, nine were attributed to mechanical problems.

Four wrongful death lawsuits have been filed in Orange County courts against Sikorsky by the families of servicemen who died in the 1984 crash of a CH-53E near San Clemente Island and another accident involving a CH-53D off the coast of southern Japan in 1985.

Sgt. Dulles Arnette, crew chief of the Super Stallion that crashed at Twentynine Palms, made a tape recording before his death in which he said that defective parts, faulty construction and mechanical breakdowns had long plagued the CH-53E.

Problems Can Pop Up

“As a system matures, as with any brand new aircraft, it can go along with no problems,” Badham said. “When it starts to wear in, when it’s flown more and more, if there are any potential problems, then that’s when they will start to show.

“The A and D have gone over that hump, while the (CH-53E) is in a difficult period right now. The focus of the inquiry is based on that, whether or not we can have confidence in it,” he said.

Regarding Wednesday’s crash of an Air Force HH-53H helicopter, Badham said it “has a virtually identical airframe as the CH-53A and D. Once we get information on whether that crash involved mechanical difficulties, then we’ll decide whether to expand the inquiry.”

Wednesday’s crash was the third involving the HH-53H, authorities said. One crashed Oct. 17, 1984, at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, killing six crewmen. A second crashed near Pope Air Force Base, N.C., in November, 1984. No one was killed in that crash.

Badham said he expects the Super Stallion investigation, involving staff members from three Armed Services Committee subcommittees, to get under way by the first week in June.

Come to County?

“I assume they will come to Orange County, since about half the fleet is assigned here and since I called for the inquiry,” Badham said.

After their field investigations, Badham said, the staff members will turn their findings over to the subcommittees on armed services procurement, readiness, and research and development. That information can be simply filed as a report or there can be public hearings on it, according to Badham, who added: “This undoubtedly will lead to public hearings.”

Marty Moore, a spokesman for Sikorsky, said the company “intends to cooperate fully with the inquiry.”

Lt. Col. John Shotwell, a Marine spokesman in Washington, said Wednesday that although the service has not been officially notified of the investigation, “We are aware of the request and, of course, will welcome any congressional investigators. We will just have to accommodate them in any way we can.”

HELICOPTER CRASHES

There have been 10 major crashes involving two types of Marine Corps and Navy helicopters--the two-engined CH-53A and CH-53D Sea Stallion and the three-engine CH-53E Super Stallion--since 1984:

March 24, 1984: A CH-53D crashes into a mountain in Korea during a night operation, killing 29. A military investigation determined that the probable cause was air crew error, lack of crew coordination and supervisory error.

April 14, 1984: A CH-53A hits the ground during a turning maneuver in Nevada. One killed. Probable cause: air crew error, lack of situational awareness and knowledge.

June 1, 1984: A CH-53E crashes in the water off San Clemente Island, killing four. Aircraft disintegrated in flight while hoisting a truck. Probable causes: structural failure and design deficiency of aircraft and truck.

Nov. 19, 1984: A CH-53E hits the ground while attempting to lift a large gun at Camp Lejeune, N.C., killing six. Probable cause: structural failure and design deficiency.

Feb. 7, 1985: A CH-53E from Tustin hits the ground during hover work. No fatalities. Probable cause: air crew error, lack of crew coordination.

May 6, 1985: A CH-53D experiences apparent transmission failure and falls into the Sea of Japan, killing 17. Accident still under investigation.

July 12, 1985: A CH-53D appears to have struck a logging cable during tactical formation training at Okinawa, killing four. Accident still under investigation.

July 19, 1985: A Navy CH-53E crashes in the Philippines with loss of directional control and power, injuring one crew member.

Aug. 25, 1985: A CH-53E from El Toro displays a fire warning light and crash-lands in a vacant field in Laguna Hills, killing one. Accident still under investigation.

May 9, 1986: a CH-53E crash-lands at Twentynine Palms, killing four and injuring one. Accident still under investigation.

Source: Office of Rep. Robert E. Badham (R-Newport Beach).