6 Soldiers Die in Pre-Dawn Copter Accident in Desert

Six soldiers were killed and one injured in an Army helicopter crash before daybreak Saturday in desert exercises at the huge Ft. Irwin training base near Barstow, Army spokesmen said.

The victims, all from the 1st Cavalry Division based at Ft. Hood, Tex., would have completed three weeks of field exercises later Saturday.

Maj. John Wagstaffe, an Army spokesman at Ft. Irwin, said military aviation experts are investigating whether controversial night vision goggles were in use and might have contributed to the 4 a.m. crash. A single UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was the only craft involved, he said.

Wagstaffe said it would be standard procedure for pilots to wear night vision goggles if they are flying close to the ground in darkness, as helicopters often do in Army assault exercises. Another spokesman, Capt. Gary Cleland, said “they were probably in use.”

Night vision goggles rely on starlight and moonlight to help pilots discern trees, mountains and other obstacles during low-level flying. Wagstaffe said it was a clear night with plenty of light to see with the goggles.

“There was a lot of illumination out there,” Wagstaffe said.

Troubles with the battery-powered, light-enhancing goggles have been blamed by congressional analysts for as many as 137 deaths in military helicopter crashes since the goggles’ introduction more than a decade ago.

The goggles cut peripheral vision in half, which requires pilots to swivel their heads constantly while cruising at high speed. Pilots also lose depth perception and detail, in part because the images they see all have a greenish-lemon hue. Objects also appear farther away than they are in reality, pilots say.

Thick fog and desert dust also can make the goggles ineffective. It was blinding dust that was blamed in part for the collision between two U.S. helicopters on the unsuccessful 1980 mission to free American hostages in Iran.

However, newer models of the goggles, which cost about $18,000 each and look like binoculars, are supposed to be more dependable, military aviation officials say.

The crash Saturday occurred in a mountainous corner of the desert base 14 miles northeast of the main Ft. Irwin garrison, which opened as a training center in World War II. That part of the base is crossed by the Granite and Avawatz mountain ranges, and Wagstaffe said there are at least two 5,000-foot peaks in the area, which is about 130 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

But he said no details of the crash would be released until the investigation is further along.

The six soldiers killed in the crash were identified as Lt. Col. William C. Whittingstall; Capt. Marlon D. Joseph; 1st Lt. Robert B. Wilson; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Roy A. Westbrook; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Delbert S. Morrow and Staff Sgt. Stephen P. Thompson. Their ages and hometowns were not available.

All were from the headquarters and service company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation.

Proceed With Exercises

About 3,500 soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division who have been training at Ft. Irwin the last three weeks went ahead with the exercises after the crash, Wagstaffe said.

The injured 1st Cavalry soldier, identified as Cpl. Scott A. Mathews, was treated first at Ft. Irwin’s Weed Army Hospital for a broken leg and a bruised lung. He was later transferred to the Loma Linda University Medical Center where he was listed in stable condition.

Experts from the U.S. Army Safety Center at Ft. Rucker, Ala., were en route to help investigate the cause of the crash, only the second fatal aircraft mishap at Ft. Irwin. Two OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters collided in a training exercise in November, 1985. One soldier was killed and three others injured in that accident.

The Blackhawk helicopter model involved in Saturday’s crash has been grounded several times after fatal night crashes. The Army’s entire fleet of 820 Blackhawks was grounded twice in May, 1987, once for inspection and once because of a design flaw.

Other Groundings

The fleet also was grounded in April, 1985, and March, 1986, after fatal crashes. In 1985, the Army identified a defect in the main rotor assembly and ordered it corrected.

Built by Sikorsky Aircraft, the Blackhawk has become an Army workhorse used as a utility and assault helicopter and in medical evacuation. It can carry 11 combat soldiers and a flight crew of three.

Roderick reported from Los Angeles and Fulton from Ft. Irwin. Times staff writers Jenifer Warren and Davan Maharaj also contributed to this article.