European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 a the stars and stripes saturday february 27,19887 gis killed 10 Hurt in copter crash Chico Texas a an army helicopter caught fire and crashed in a pasture thursday killing seven soldiers and seriously Hunting 10. Authorities said. Two soldiers fell 35 feet after leaping from the bum ing twin-iwbpich�47p Chinook As it hurtled toward the ground ill  a no Worth said Slat department of Public Safe la flu Jim h Nikiti. One of the soldiers died. Or the other Soldier said that a fire had broken Outino Back of the helicopter based at fort Sill. Okla., and that the 17 people aboard had tried to move to the front to get away from the flames according to ran  do have some witnesses who said they parts falling off Back toward Chico several away and some of the witnesses said it was attire before Impact he said. Six died at the scene and one Vataj Phal and 10were burned in the after noon in which sparked a grass fire said the depart Nuj a f safety. Five of the injury up a fire in critical condition and five in serious con Mon officials said. Many  suffered third degree bums some Over Flicia entire bodies others were wrapped in body mrs after firefighters extinguished the grass fire authorities said. The cause of the crash was not immediately  team of investigators from fort Rucker ala., was in route said col. Herbert Blanks. In 1985, the army grounded its entire Fleet of 63jthe giant ch-47d helicopters after an Honduras injured eight soldiers. The after a month and a half. .0f Erry a faraui00nthcsaw the copter ski dec of breaking apart in flames. He said he tricc9l9mimmtt with a fire extinguisher and Hack Marouse  about the we put a lot of fire on people out tse we could t do very much but get pm out of the Way. We actually could do very Little. Nobody could really do  one was up walking around the rest were out on ground. 1 Cut the Pilot or the assistant Pilot. I Cut his scat Cut Loose he added. He was wanting me to Cut him out of there and i did that. He was conscious talking to  the copter was returning to fort Sill from for Hood in Central Texas with five soldiers from fort Sill and 12 from fort Hood aboard said capt. Tim vane f-15 unit in Iceland earns 3rd air superiority award Kef Lavik. Iceland is the 57th fighter interceptor so has been named the air Force s top air superiority unit for 1987. A spokesman for inc Iceland defense Force said. This is the third Lime the Iceland based f-15 Unitas captured the Hughes trophy which since 1953 has been Given annually to the air Force s top air superiority unit said chief Petty officer Dave Evans. He said the Black knights of the 57th won the award in1970 flying the f-102 Delta Dagger and the f-4c phantom in 1976.the award is based on operational performance readiness and achievements Evans said. In 1987 the57th had More Active air defense scrambles than any other air Force unit. Evans said the 57th intercepted154 aircraft Many of them soviet aircraft enter ing the Iceland military defense identification  said two people from the unit were cited for their achievements in 1987. Maj. Mark a dolt was picked As the 1st air Force night commander of the year. Capt. Or Hal Richardson the unit s flight sur Geon was Given the military Airlift up Mars Jolly Green save of the year award Evans said. Richard son flew 15 search and Rescue missions with the base s 67th aerospace Rescue and recovery so act 14.richardson is credited with saving five lives in 1987. Evans said the 57th s other achievements include various exercises and deployments including the nato exercise Ocean safari in the norwegian sea. He said the 57th helped with identification and surveil Lance of soviet aircraft flying against Allied naval forces. The 57th was also awarded the tac Airlift com flight safety award for its safety record for 1987. Maj. Gen. Jimmie v. Adams the 1st of commander presented the Hughes trophy to the 57th earlier in the month Evans said. Of fort Hood. The Chinook can Cary my 33combat-equipped soldiers Gigi my Winford  of a Rock crushing using a we is from the crash site said a Large part j04hmlhc copter and landed near the Plant. It looks like an exhaust pipe he said. It s a round piece about three feet Long and three feet  i was driving West of Chico and saw smoke coming out of the helicopter and knew it was going to crash said James St John. I drove out there and it had already crashed. I seen it when it was going Down but not when it  ch-47d is a modernized version of the earlier Jpn Dols of the Chinook which for years has been a party inventory. Luias Accident a transmission bearing failed on a claw suing to a refuelling depot. The failure caused one Ornow in main rotors to Stop turning the other Rotor  stand the Heli copter Tore itself apart.  main rotors mesh As they turn and therefore must be synchronized. Eight soldiers were killed in april 1986 when a ch-47 and another helicopter collided at Hunter army Airfield in Georgia. Viets begin a Yesile Pulloni Bischof Erda East German yep the soviet Union Mian withdrawing ssh nuclear mis Siles from East Otmany  More than1,000 local  of lab wave communist party flags and  soviet soldiers with  East German  Are the first nuclear weapons to be remove Frow Central Europe under terms of the us Peytr Armiju Craty signed in Washington in Dice Bajt although thex Craty has not Lien ratified soviet officials Proclo Knud the Early with Kwal of rockets As an act of ten that Congress will ask voc the Accord. In Sci adoring Czechoslovakia the at Nin pres said so to missiles were being withdrawn from the town of Hranics Southeast of Prague later Mic Day. In Bischof Swerda women gave Flowers Tol f 150defining soviet troops while children gave Bem Foks Candy and other gifts in a carefully Prcik a cd two hour ceremony at the local train station. Roberts from Page 1 Annval. Wade Roberts and his German wife Petra smile outside the court room. Which carries a maximum penalty of Adi honorable discharge and three year of hard labor because he always meant to return to the West Accord ing to Kuby As evidenced by the fac that he kept his military id card and never renounced his citizenship despite soviet requests to do so. Kuby also showed  1987 the Chain i 8mmand at Roberts  him to Stop see a Trumann and planned to have him charged for various alleged transgressions triggering his Odyssey to the East two Day Slater. During the court martial proceed ithe desertion charge Shaver argue into intending to return to the West  because under military  yes Crter is de fined As someone  to re main away from his  also portrayed Roberts As ing to elude military authorities whence returned from Moscow to Frank Furt last november because of con Cern for the pregnant Neumannn and because he got tired of his Job on soviet Snake farm. But Kuby and capt William Cade military defense attorney said Rob erts tried to turn himself in but was hampered by what they called bureaucratic inefficiency by . State department personnel in Bonn an military officials at the . European come in  took Only 20 minutes to de liberate on the desertion charge be fore handing Down his verdict of in Nocent. The court then sentencing for the a ijamimgc7orur ing which skip Maffio to show that off crts former unit Plum a after news of his flight to the soviet Union became known. Kuby and Gade effectively countered that by getting capt. Benjamin Ivey former commander of Robert Battery to admit that the unit took top honors in a battalion wide inspection shortly after Roberts had left. In final arguments on the awol sentencing Shaver pushed hard for the maximum penalty. But Kuby Saida longer sentence than the four months Roberts already had spent inthe Philadelphia Navy Yard big was unnecessary to deter other gis fro going to the soviet Union and ending up on Snake  the easiest solution was s out of the army in s not Cut out for that life Kuzbyt the army does need him and Tow Brit need the  Pauich apparently  handing Down the bad conduct Dis charge without elaboration. Roberts could be free to return to Germany this weekend