Questions still linger at Black Hawk memorial
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Family members and friends of soldiers who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Kahuku a year ago placed lei and flowers at a black granite monument at a dedication ceremony last week at 25th Infantry Division (Light) aviation brigade headquarters.
U.S. Army via Associated Press
"This accident had a tremendous impact on the division," the brigade's commander, Col. James S. Schisser, said later. "The whole division, and especially the units who lost soldiers, grieved throughout the year, but they also had to drive on with training and preparing to fight this nation's war."
Michael Perry, son of crash victim Chief Warrant Officer George Perry, places a lei on a memorial, joined by his mother, Lovie Perry. The memorial ceremony Tuesday at Wheeler Army Air Field honored four of six soldiers killed a year ago.
The six soldiers who died in the crash Feb. 12, 2001, were in a Black Hawk carrying a Humvee in a sling beneath the heavy chopper. The last aircraft in a group of four, it lagged behind, then overtook and collided with the lead helicopter as the choppers approached the landing zone at 7:40 p.m.
The heavy Black Hawk crashed in a gulch. The lead chopper fell from 200 feet, landing upright.
Questions still remain as to whether changes made by the 25th Division to improve safety since the worst Army training accident in Hawai'i history will be incorporated throughout the Army.
Two investigations followed the crash. One was a "collateral" examination conducted by Col. Terry Peck, then aviation training brigade commander at Fort Rucker, Ala., at the behest of Maj. Gen. James M. Dubik, commanding general of the 25th Division and U.S. Army, Hawai'i.
Although it failed to find a cause for the accident, Dubik concluded that intermittent rain, wind, the heavy load, a tight landing turn and constricted terrain all contributed.
The direct cause was "the failure of the pilot" to keep his distance from the other Black Hawk "for reasons we will never know." A contributing factor was the failure of battalion commander Lt. Col. Paul R. Disney Jr. to conduct "adequate planning, risk assessment and rehearsals," Dubik said.
A number of changes have been made by the 25th Division since then, from mandating approval by the aviation brigade commander for an aircraft other than the first in a formation to carry the heaviest load, to requiring rehearsal of alternate flight routes.
A second, accident-prevention investigation was mounted by the U.S. Army Safety Center at Fort Rucker.
Although the Safety Center recently released portions of the report, it withheld findings and recommendations of the investigation board and reviewing officials, as well as the board's opinions, conclusions and analysis.
"U.S. Army accident reports are closely protected and controlled in order to increase the effectiveness of the Army Accident Prevention Program," said Lt. Col. John S. Arnold, the Safety Center's executive officer.
The materials are exempted from disclosure, he said, "so that individuals involved may freely and openly provide uninhibited opinions and recommendations. This helps to assure that all safety factors are considered and fully evaluated, which greatly assists the Army in preventing accidents in the future."
Schisser said he was not sure, after last week's dedication ceremony, whether the improvements made here had been adopted Army-wide.
But he did say accounts of the accident had been included in two Safety Center publications "so they can share our lessons learned with the rest of the aviation community." Army representatives said the publication is called "Flightfax."
The waist-high memorial to the four air crew members of 2nd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment who died stands by the flagpole, flanked by tall pines, outside brigade headquarters at Wheeler Army Airfield.
Approximately 350 soldiers and more than 10 family members of two victims — Chief Warrant Officer 4 George Perry, who has relatives on O'ahu, and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Greg Montgomery, a California native — attended the private ceremony.
Also memorialized on the monument are Staff Sgt. Thomas Barber and Sgt. Bob MacDonald.
Two other soldiers killed, Maj. Robert Olson and Spec. Rafael Olvera-Rodriguez — both assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment — will be remembered with the dedication of a conference room at division artillery headquarters in late spring or in summer, Army officials said.
Since the accident, the brigade has flown more than 17,000 hours without an accident, Schisser said, including 7,000 hours in the UH-60 Black Hawk.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
