Probers Find Few Clues in Crash of Army Helicopter

As federal investigators began sifting through the wreckage of an Army helicopter that crashed here, killing six soldiers, base officials revealed Sunday that the accident occurred while the helicopter was directing three other aircraft in a mock attack.

As temperatures soared to 105 degrees, a seven-member team of military aviation experts hunted for clues in the charred, mangled remains of the UH-60 Blackhawk. But they would not speculate on what caused the sleek, black helicopter to crash and burn in a shallow rocky gully shortly before dawn Saturday.

“At this point we just don’t have any answers,” said Maj. John Wagstaffe, a Ft. Irwin spokesman.

Also unavailable was information on whether controversial night-vision goggles were being used by crew members and may have contributed to the accident.

The goggles are light-enhancing devices that enable pilots to discern obstacles during low-level flying. Attached to a helmet, the battery-powered goggles have been blamed for 137 deaths in military helicopter crashes since they were introduced more than 10 years ago.

Wagstaffe said, however, that the goggles are typically used during nighttime training missions.

The investigative team includes Ft. Irwin safety experts and three officials from the U.S. Army Safety Center at Ft. Rucker, Ala. The experts’ on-site work will last as long as a week and a final determination of the accident’s cause could be two months away.

A seventh soldier was injured in the crash, which occurred at about 4 a.m. under a moonlit desert sky. Cpl. Scott A. Mathews, 24, of Marietta, Ga., suffered a broken leg and bruised lung and was reported in stable condition Sunday at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

All the soldiers aboard the craft were members of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Ft. Hood, Tex. The men were part of 3,500 soldiers completing three weeks of field exercises at Ft. Irwin, which is east of Barstow and is home to the Army’s National Training Center.

Widespread Wreckage

The Blackhawk, a $4.6-million utility helicopter introduced in 1981, crashed on the slope of a 602-foot mountain in an area known as Refrigerator Gap. The wreckage, which included boots and flight gloves worn by crew members, was strewn over a 100-yard-square area.

At the time of the crash, the Blackhawk was serving as a “command and control” helicopter for three other helicopters simulating an attack on Soviet ground forces about 1.5 miles away. On board the Blackhawk, Lt. Col. William C. Whittingstall, 40, of Iowa Park, Tex., was serving as aviation battalion commander for the exercise.

“The Blackhawk was directing two Apache AH-64 assault helicopters in their attack on Soviet armored forces,” Ft. Irwin spokesman Capt. Gary Cleland said. The goal of the mission, which involved the entire division and a total of eight aircraft, was to seize territory controlled by the enemy forces, he said.

The Blackhawk model involved in Saturday’s crash has been grounded several times after fatal nighttime accidents. The investigative team has the authority to order another grounding of the fleet, but no such order had been made by Sunday evening, Cleland said.

Memorial Planned

Members of the 1st Cavalry Division began returning home to Texas on Sunday. A memorial service for those killed will be held at Ft. Hood this week.

Although exercises continued after Saturday’s crash, the mood was grim.

“Military units are by their very nature close-knit organizations,” said Maj. Gary Hovatter, who knew all six soldiers killed in the crash. “We work together, we play together. And no matter how much you prepare for something like this, it’s tough.”

In addition to Whittingstall, victims of the crash were Capt. Marlon D. Joseph, 33, of Houston; 1st Lt. Robert B. Wilson, 26, of Hilton Head, S.C.; Chief Warrant Officer Roy A. Westbrook, 42, of Jourdanton, Tex.; Chief Warrant Officer Delbert S. Morrow, 41, of Homeland, Calif., and Staff Sgt. Stephen P. Thompson, 28, of Broken Bow, Okla.