2015 Charikot Helicopter Crash

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Charikot Helicopter Crash
Bringing shelter.jpg
Army staff in Nepal unloading supplies from a UH-1Y similar to the one involved, a few days after the accident
Accident
Date12 May 2015 (2015-05-12)
SummaryVisual flight into IMC
Site Charikot, Nepal
Aircraft
Aircraft type Bell UH-1Y Venom
Operator United States Marine Corps
Call signVengeance 01
Registration 168792 SE-08
Flight origin Dolakha District, Nepal
Destination Kathmandu, Nepal
Occupants13
Passengers5
Crew8
Fatalities13
Survivors0

On 12 May 2015, a US Marine Corps Bell UH-1Y Venom of Camp Pendleton-based HMLA-469 squadron crashed in the Charikot region of Nepal during Operation Sahayogi Haat, a humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake that had struck the region earlier. All 13 occupants were killed. [1]

Bell UH-1Y Venom

The Bell UH-1Y Venom is a twin-engined, medium-sized utility helicopter, built by Bell Helicopter under the H-1 upgrade program of the United States Marine Corps. One of the latest members of the numerous Huey family, the UH-1Y is also called "Yankee", based on the NATO phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter.

HMLA-469

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 (HMLA-469) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1 SuperCobra and AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron is headquartered at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton in Southern California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron was activated on June 30, 2009.

Operation Sahayogi Haat

Operation Sahayogi Haat was a US military relief operation delivering humanitarian assistance to victims of the April and May 2015 Nepal earthquakes. About 900 US military and civilian personnel were involved, with about 300 deployed in Nepal. Joint Task Force 505 was responsible for managing the relief operation, which lasted from May 6 to 26, 2015.

Contents

Accident

The following is a statement from PACOM: "On 12 May, at approximately 10 p.m. JST, a UH-1Y Huey with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469 in support of Joint Task Force 505 was declared missing while supporting Operation Sahayogi Haat." Nepal’s army, struggling with the aftermath of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit on 25 April, had deployed about 400 troops into rocky, forested terrain after the US helicopter was reported missing. [2] A news release from III Marine Expeditionary Force, based in Okinawa, Japan stated that the chosen route, which may have been made because one or more of the injured was in need of urgent treatment, took the UH-1Y Huey helicopter for a brief period over unfamiliar terrain in unstable weather. [3] The helicopter crashed in rugged terrain about 8 miles north of Charikot on a mission to evacuate casualties caused by the April 2015 Nepal earthquake. [4]

April 2015 Nepal earthquake Earthquake on 25 April 2015 killing over 8,900 people

The April 2015 Nepal earthquake killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000. It occurred at on 25 April 2015, with a magnitude of 7.8Mw or 8.1Ms and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VIII (Severe). Its epicenter was east of Gorkha District at Barpak, Gorkha, and its hypocenter was at a depth of approximately 8.2 km (5.1 mi). It was the worst natural disaster to strike Nepal since the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake. The ground motion recorded in the capital of Nepal was of low frequency, which, along with its occurrence at an hour where many people in rural areas were working outdoors, decreased the loss of property and human lives.

Aircraft

The helicopter had arrived in Nepal on May 5. As part of Operation Sahayogi Haat, the U.S. military contributed three Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey helicopters, four Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, four Air Force C-17 Globemaster III, four Air Force C-130 Hercules and four Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules aircraft to the relief effort. [5]

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey Military transport tilt-rotor

The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventional helicopter with the long-range, high-speed cruise performance of a turboprop aircraft.

Passengers and crew

The flight crew comprised two US Marines pilots. On board were also four other US Marines staff, two Nepalese soldiers and five injured civilians in need of urgent treatment. [6] [7] [8]

Aftermath

According to CNN, then Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said "You know, our terrain is so ... difficult, that is why (it crashed). We feel so sorry for that." [9] In honour of the fallen, the Heritage Room of the U.S. Embassy, in Kathmandu, Nepal was renamed to “Vengeance Hall” after the crashed helicopter. [10]

Sushil Koirala Nepalese politician

Sushil Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal from 11 February 2014 to 10 October 2015. He was also President of the Nepali Congress party from 2010 to 2016.

On May 15 an "Open Letter" from the People of Nepal remembering the Marines was published. It was thereafter replied to by Peter W. Bodde, Ambassador of the United States of America to Nepal. [11]

Investigation

The helicopter crash was attributed to the crew’s decision to fly the most direct route to Kathmandu. The chosen course required a brief period over unfamiliar terrain with unstable meteorological conditions [12] and was necessary “due to a real or perceived urgency” concerning the condition of the injured civilians. [13]

It was reported that the aircraft "was enveloped by rapidly developing clouds or lifted into a cloud by rising air currents. As they attempted to maneuver out of the weather conditions, they lost visual reference with the terrain and impacted the ground." [3]

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Bell UH-1 Iroquois Family of military utility helicopters

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HMLA-367 U.S. Marine Corps Light Attack Helicopter Squadron

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 367 (HMLA-367) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 24 (MAG-24) and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

Sindhupalchok District District in Province No. 3, Nepal

Sindhupalchok District is a part of Province No. 3 and one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, with an area of 2,542 km2 (981 sq mi). The district's headquarters is in Chautara. In 2006, 336,478 people resided in 79 village development committees, in 2011 there were 287,798.

HMLA-267

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 267 (HMLA-267) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Huey utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

HMLA-169

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 169 (HMLA-169) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1Z SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH-1Y Huey utility helicopters. The squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

HMLAT-303

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Training Squadron 303 (HMLAT-303), is a United States Marine Corps helicopter training squadron stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. Known as the "Atlas", HMLAT-303 trains newly commissioned Naval Aviators, conversion pilots, and refresher pilots to fly the Bell UH-1Y Venom and Bell AH-1Z Viper. HMLAT-303 is also responsible for training Bell UH-1Y Venom crew chiefs. It is part of Marine Aircraft Group 39 (MAG-39) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota light utility multipurpose helicopter

The EurocopterUH-72 Lakota is a twin-engine helicopter with a single, four-bladed main rotor. The UH-72 is a militarized version of the Eurocopter EC145 and was built by American Eurocopter, a division of Airbus Group, Inc. Initially marketed as the UH-145, the helicopter was selected as the winner of the United States Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program on 30 June 2006. In October 2006, American Eurocopter was awarded a production contract for 345 aircraft to replace aging UH-1H/V and OH-58A/C helicopters in the US Army and Army National Guard fleets. It performs logistics and support missions within the US and the National Guard for homeland security, disaster response missions, and medical evacuations.

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Bell UH-1N Twin Huey utility transport helicopter

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Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter

The Bell AH-1Z Viper is an American twin-engine attack helicopter, based on the AH-1W SuperCobra, that was developed for the United States Marine Corps as part of the H-1 upgrade program. The AH-1Z features a four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor system, uprated transmission, and a new target sighting system. The AH-1Z, one of the latest members of the prolific Bell Huey family, is also called "Zulu Cobra", based on the military phonetic alphabet pronunciation of its variant letter.

HMLA-467

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467 (HMLA-467) was a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters. The squadron, nicknamed the "Sabers", was based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. The squadron's aircraft markings are grey & white stripes on the aircraft tail to replicate the tail markings on a Diamondback Rattlesnake and the markings on the lighthouses in North Carolina.

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Operation Sankat Mochan

Operation Sankat Mochan is a Nepal Army earthquake relief operation following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake; the Nepal Army has deployed 90 percent of its force.

May 2015 Nepal earthquake a second earthquake in Nepal in May, 2015

A major earthquake occurred in Nepal on 12 May 2015 at 12:50 pm local time with a moment magnitude of 7.3, 18 km (11 mi) southeast of Kodari. The epicenter was on the border of Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk, two districts of Nepal. This earthquake occurred on the same fault as the larger magnitude 7.8 earthquake of 25 April, but further east than the original quake. As such, it is considered to be an aftershock of 25 April quake. It struck at a depth of 18.5 kilometres (11.5 mi). Shaking was felt in northern parts of India including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Tremors were felt as far as about 2,400 kilometers away from the epicenter in Chennai.

References

  1. ↑ "Helicopter Accidents – Helicopter Database". helis.com. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Wreckage of US military helicopter found in Nepal" . Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Marines release findings of fatal Nepal helo crash". Marine Corps Times. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  4. ↑ "Marines died helping hard-to-reach quake victims". CNN. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "JTF 505 deactivates after Operation Sahayogi Haat". Marines. U.S. Marine Corps. May 26, 2015. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Updated: Marine UH-1Y Helicopter Missing in Nepal, Aerial Search to Begin at Daybreak". USNI News. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Nepal Helo Crash: Officials Identify Marines and Soldiers involved". #OAF. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Joseph Trevithick. "U.S. Marines Faced Dangers in Nepal Before Deadly Crash". Medium. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Marines died helping hard-to-reach quake victims". CNN. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  10. ↑ "Fallen Marines to be Memorialized at US Embassy in Nepal". November 3, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  11. ↑ Sharma, Amrit (May 15, 2015). "Open Letter To The US Marines From The People of Nepal" . Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Route Decision Led to U.S. Helicopter Crash in Nepal, Marines Say". New York Times . Retrieved 9 October 2017.

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