European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday december 14, 1993 the stars and stripes Page 3 by Craig Martin staff writer a helicopter seating safety mechanism failed during the crash last february that killed three v corps staff officers and a Crew chief and injured four others in Germany according to the . Army a official crash report. The report released last week to the stars and stripes under a Freedom of information act request filed last March also indicates that the Pilot and co Pilot might not have been burned so severely had they used the visors on their helmets. Many portions of the report were with held including All the findings and recommendations of the nine officer investigating Board and reviewing officials. The opinions and analyses of the investigation Board also were deleted according to col. Herman set Heath Deputy commander for the judge advocate office at the. . Army safety Center at fort Rucker Ala. The investigation stems from the feb. 33 crash and explosion of a uh-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Wiesbaden a Germany that killed maj Gen. Jarrett j. Robertson 52, v corps Deputy commander col. William j. Densberger 47, the assistant chief of staff for operations at v corps col. Robert j. Kelly 48, v corps assistant chief of staff for intelligence and spec. Gary l. Rhodes jr., 23, a Crew chief with co a 7th in 158th aviation regt in Wiesbaden. Crew members injured were chief warrant officer 2 Christopher s. Mancini 25, the Pilot at the controls and chief warrant officer 3 Michael p. Coker 40, a rated instructor Pilot and the senior Pilot. Also injured were capt. Eric j. Johnson 30, Robertson a aide and maj. William k. Rasmussen who was working at v corps As an assistant chief of staff for intelligence. The cause of the crash was improper drainage of the external fuel tanks according to a report released earlier. The Crew and troop seats in the Black Hawk Are designed to collapse partially during Impact a procedure the authors called  safety investigators reported that there was no sign of stroking in the passenger compartment including the Crew chiefs seat. The pilots and Copilot s seats stroked. The seats were sent to the army Aero medical research Laboratory at fort Rucker. However the report does not say if the failure was linked to death or injury. The report shows that Mancini sustained Quot total permanent disability to his hands from bums. His gloves were labelled by investigators As unserviceable because each Glove had holes in four fingertips reducing Protection for his facts of the crash Lnu i  f.23tbcopfet crash at Wiesbaden a.  the seating safety mechanism failed for ail but the Pilot and co a Tot sgt % v co Pilot Coker Tho seating Ali n do Ftp mrs a furl Unk i old approx p i Lions pm Ruel Iirth Cri Rush Lyrl put sir Pink it uni pts uh-60 stack Hawk helicopter carrying 5,506 pounds of Fud 823 Oad ohs lands. Source v corps Jane Sall the world s aircraft pilots at Wiesbaden a said that for several months before the crash several common sizes of flight gloves were not available for direct Exchange a the system the military uses to turn in unserviceable clothing items for Good ones. Coker suffered first and second degree bums to his face and neck. Mancini suffered severe Burns on his face his Back the Back of his neck and his right leg. A amps the report said neither Coker nor Mancini was using his visor. The report stated that wearing the visors a would have provided additional facial Protection from the  the report also said none of the passengers was wearing helmets. Quot persons exposed to regular and frequent flight should consider wearing a flight helmet to provide head Protection a the report said. To gear Byj. King Cruger Northern Italy Bureau Aviano a Italy a air Force officials have hired 45 people to work at the local housing office As Aviano a prepares for the arrival of two permanently stationed . F-16 aircraft squadrons. In addition officials have rented office space in the City of Aviano to prepare for the arrival of the planes and personnel. Quot we anticipate that a minimum of 1,300 Active duty military people plus their families will be moving to Aviano a col. John h. Campbell commander of the 401st fighter Wing said monday at a news conference. Officials Are looking for additional space to accommodate schoolchildren including classroom areas outside the base Campbell said. The fighting Falcon aircraft Are coming from Ramstein a Germany and will be activated at Aviano As the 510th and 555th fighter squadrons. The move re establishes a fighter presence in natos Southern Region. There has not been a permanent Alliance fighter presence in the area since the departure of the 401st�?Ts three squadrons of f-16s from Torrejon a Spain in March 1992. The Wing moved its Flag from Torrejon to Aviano two months later in May 1992. The first of More than 32 planes is expected to arrive in april but the full fighter aircraft deployment is expected to take six months Campbell said. The movement of additional air Force personnel into the base is expected to take a year. The american Community at Aviano will number Between 6,000 and 7,000 people once All those associated with the move arrive. Quot the biggest Challenge is finding places for All those people to live a Campbell said. A we arc working with local mayors to find Quality  the added housing office staff will comb the local area sometime next month a looking for available housing a Campbell said. Quot their objective will be to find Good housing within a 45-minute drive from the  no on base housing area exists at Aviano. Only minimum construction is expected As a result of the shift of planes and personnel onto Luie base Camp Bell said. He said a dormitory that will House about 500 enlisted personnel is planned. The growth of the base is expected to add $20 million to $30 million to the local Economy and generate 150 to 200 italian jobs on the base Campbell said. The air Force is looking into receiving some nato funds to help pay for the squadrons move to Aviano according to col. Dick Brenner the 401st s vice commander who also addressed the news  of purse snatching sought by British police Bury St. Edmunds England a amps a local British police Are seeking an american woman who witnessed a purse snatching in Bury St. Edmunds that police say May be connected to other such thefts in the town. A number of purses were snatched in Bury St. Edmunds on saturday including two at the towns antique Bazaar according to a spokesman for the Bury St. Edmunds police. One of the purse snatching occurred at about 10 25 . At the Bazaar and was witnessed by an american woman who told shopkeepers she saw a boy take the purse. Shopkeepers failed to obtain the woman a name and Telephone number. Police ask that the woman Contact the burst. Edmunds police station at 0284 774 100. Bury St. Edmunds is about 15 Miles Southeast of Raf Mildenhall and Raf Lakenheath and is Home to a number of americans. 6 pm workers suspected in thefts thousands of dollars in goods found during searches Mannheim Germany a amps a thousands of dollars Worth of goods allegedly stolen from the Mannheim base Post Exchange have been seized from residences of six pm employees said German police spokesman Volker dressier. The items confiscated by German and american investigators make up a Cross Section of what the army and air Force Exchange service Sells at its Mannheim Exchange including Many household goods and clothes said dressier. An Exchange service spokeswoman. Referred questions about the Case to the 293rd base support in the army organization responsible for Community based matters in Mannheim. Five of the suspects Are americans and one is australian said by Talion spokeswoman Christine thamm. All Are civilians therefore they Are subject Only to German criminal Law. No charges have been filed yet. German police and the army officials offered different estimates of the goods value. Dressier said total Worth was 20,000 to 25,000 Marks about $12,050 to $15,060. The army pegged it at $7,000. The joint operation by German police Exchange service Security personnel and military police investigators began thursday when store detectives detained one suspect a woman As she was leaving the Mannheim store with an item for which she allegedly had not paid. Based on her statements and those of other suspects during questioning authorities searched the six dwellings Friday. Three of the residences Are in the army a Benjamin Franklin Village housing area two Are elsewhere in Mannheim and one is in nearby Frankenthal dressier said. The local German District attorneys office is investigating the Case