European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 2 a a the stars and stripes saturday june 23,1990copter design probed in fatal crash report also puts blame on Pilot error by Rosemary Sawyer staff writer Vii corps investigators have blamed Pilot error and possible flaws in aircraft design for an Apache helicopter crash in West Germany that killed both Crew members. Chief warrant officer 2 Lester Baggett 35, and 1st it. John d. Murphy 26, died during a night training Mission oct. 17 when their attack helicopter struck a Cable fell 156 feet to the ground and burned near Neustadt. While the Vii corps Accident report cited Pilot error As the primary cause for the Accident it also said deficiencies in the Antenna system on the $10 million helicopter May have prevented the two Man Crew from hearing warnings about the Hazard. The Apache struck a grounding Cable that ran about 30 feet above wires carrying 380,000 volts of electricity. The Apache was supposed to Fly under All of the wires at a particular crossing site. Crews of an oh-58 scout helicopter and another Apache tried to warn Pilot Baggett and co Pilot Murphy that they were approaching the wires at too High an Altitude and North of the designated crossing Point according to a report from the army safety Center in fort Rucker Ala. The scout helicopter Crew reported that it had t been Able to radio the Apache in the 10 minutes after it had left its Home base in Hillesheim West Germany for the Ipp level training flight. When the radio communication failed the scout helicopter Crew tried to visually intercept the Apache and guide it to the proper wire crossing Point the safety Center report said. The maintenance Logbook for the downed helicopter showed that about two weeks before the crash the pilots vhf pm and uhf radio transmission and reception were garbled on All frequencies when the Rotor Blades turned. The Day before the crash the Logbook showed the co pilots floor and cyclic microphones worked intermittently the safety Center report said. The Accident report said deficiencies in the Antenna system on the $ 10 million helicopter May have prevented the Crew from hearing warnings. The Public version of the fort Rucker report did not say whether the problems had been repaired. Investigators also said troubles with the ah-64�?Ts tight transponder Antenna May have distracted the Apache Crew. The transponder is a piece of navigational equipment that identifies an aircraft on radar. Before the crash Baggett radioed to the second Apache that he was having trouble with his Pilot night vision system and was going to abort the Mission. The sensor on the ah-64 is the Forward looking infrared system which provides Thermal images of the surrounding terrain. Weather conditions for use of the system were near perfect on the night of the Accident the report said. Because Baggetto a transponder Antenna switch was in a certain position his Pilot night vision system was knocked out every time radar swept his transponder the other Apache Pilot told investigators. The Pilot chief warrant officer 3 Stephen j. Mitchell told Baggett to move the switch to another setting to Correct the problem. Baggett responded with a ooh of that a the problem a Mitchell said. That was the last communication they had before the crash which occurred about 10 minutes into the Mission. Baggett did not respond to Mitchells warning about the wires. All three aircraft were assigned to troop a 2nd a 6th Cav regt 11th aviation brigade. The Vii corps report recommends engineering changes for the ah-64 Antenna system to improve radio communications and eliminate transponder interference with the Pilot night vision system. Col. James Pongonis Deputy commander of the army safety Center refused to release the safety centers recommendations and findings. Pongonis said disclosure would inhibit the investigation boards free and open recommendations. Vii corps investigators citing other contributing factors in the crash recommended that units a rehearse Battle drills and missions during the Day prior to conducting night missions. A avoid changing Crew and seat assignments prior to night missions trying instead to have a Battle Ros tired Crews a Crews that would Fly together during a War. A limit exaggerated course changes More than 60 degrees at night to avoid disorienting Crew members. A special investigation also was conducted by the fort Rucker Board into a major worry among some West German politicians about the apaches a whether electromagnetic interference could have been a Factor in the crash. The Board found that a High intensity radio trans a a in sit a a mitting Antenna near the crash site did not affect the aircraft a performance. Last year Wiesbaden politicians called for grounding of All Tjh-60 Black Hawk helicopters and apaches in West Germany saying the aircraft were unsafe because of High susceptibility to electromagnetic interference from radio transmitters. The politicians based their claims on inspector general reports. Army officials contended that the reports focused on the aircraft s wartime performance when extremely High interference Levels might be  plan draws Little overseas comment from staff reports . Military officials in Europe had Little to say Friday about Secretary of defense Dick Cheney a plans to cancel 65 overseas construction projects. Vii corps had no official reaction to the thursday announcement. Because the cuts Are Only a proposal until Congress acts any comment would amount Only to speculation corps spokesman Gunther Schatz said. Safe and v corps officials were unable to respond to questions about the cancellations. The european come at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart stands to lose two construction projects valued at $14.8 million As a result of the plan. News update Italy May lift exile a if the proposal is approved we will merely continue to operate from our current facilities a said army maj. David Compton a command spokesman. The european Comdr a projects involve an operations building and a command Center modernization. The command closed the Center for renovations and Asbestos removal in 1987, spreading its activities among other buildings on the army Post. The list adds up to $327 million in funding that Congress already has approved. To scrap the projects lawmakers must withdraw the appropriations. Cheney a plan would do particular damage to plans that the department of defense dependents schools had for West Germany slashing projects valued at More than $37 million. Dodds director John Stremple said the projects selected for possible cancellation were culled by Pentagon officials from a prioritized list provided by Dodds officials. A i would imagine that Dod also factors in other considerations such As possible future troop cuts in various locations a he said. Major school projects targeted by Cheney include a a $7.1 million elementary school in Frankfurt. A $7.5 million in renovations to the Giessen Middle and High schools. A a $4.1 million addition to the Gra Fenohr elementary school. A a $9.9 million High school in Hohenfels and a $7.1 million addition to its elementary school. At san Vito Dei Normanna air station Italy officials Haven to received any official notification that the defense department has recommended cancellation of construction of the bases $2.8 million transient Barracks. But no work has been done on the project anyway. A the project was on hold because of the Dod moratorium on construction a 1st it. Larry Cox the base spokesman said Friday. In All Cheney wants to cancel 68 construction projects. Three of them Are in the United states the rest Are abroad. Rome apr the son and grandson of the last italian Monarch Are closer to realizing their dream of ending their exile after a parliamentary commission voted to lift a constitutional ban on their entry in Italy. Italians voted in 1946 to abolish the monarchy. The postwar Constitution enacted the following year banned visits or stays by Umberto ii who reigned for 26 Days before being forced into exile by the referendum. The ban also applied to his wife and male heirs. Umberto died in Geneva Switzerland in 1983 at the age of 78. His son Victor Emmanuel has campaigned on behalf of himself and his son Emmanuel Filiberto for a lifting of the ban. Expert says soviets in quandary about their future role in Europe by Gary Pomeroy staff writer Frankfurt West Germany a the biggest question being asked by soviet leaders is How their nation will fit into the future of Europe an Eastern european research expert said Friday. A events in Eastern Europe have happened so quickly that its very difficult for the soviet leadership to know what it wants a said Gerard Holden of the peace research Institute in Frankfurt. A they done to know what end they would like to  Holden spoke to about 100 people at a seminar called a Eastern Europe a new beginning what a next a the meeting at Terrace club in the Abrams Complex was sponsored by the european division of the army corps of engineers. The peace Institute which was founded in 1970 to promote detente and arms control is funded by the Hessen state government and International research foundations. A the underlying Issue in soviet leadership and soviet society is the danger that the soviet Union could be economically politically and culturally excluded from Europe a Holden said. This Issue is related to the crisis of soviet National self identity he said. A a it a not at All Clear anymore what the .s.r. Or Russia is or what it will be in a few years time and what relationship it will have to Western  the uncertainty in the soviet Union is impacted by several external factors ranging from the role of nato to the unification of Germany Holden said. However Domestic politics in the soviet Union is the most a problematic a he said. Current turmoil involves probable Power struggles within the different groups of soviet leadership with Little emphasis Given to the feelings of the masses he said. A a it a not Clear How important Public opinion is in the soviet Union a he said. A there simply Aren t the opinion polls. One does no to have enough evidence to go on