Manchester, N.H. – May 20, 1979

Manchester, New Hampshire – May 20, 1979

 

Kaman Seasprite helicopter – built by Kaman Aircraft Corp, Bloomfield, Connecticut.

     On the morning of May 20, 1979, a U.S. Navy HH2-Delta Seasprite helicopter left Norfolk, Virginia, with five crewmen aboard, bound for the Brunswick, Maine, naval air station.  The crew was assigned to  Light Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron 30, also known as HSL-30.  The purpose of the flight was for instrument training. 

     At about 9:30 a.m. the aircraft was passing over Manchester, New Hampshire, at an altitude of 5,000 feet when it suddenly went down and crashed near Manchester Airport.   The weather at the time was cloudy and raining.  

     All five crewmen were killed in the crash.  They were identified as:

     Lieutenant Commander Lynwood H. Duncan, 33, of Greensboro, North Carolina.  He’s buried in Elmwood Cemetery in Oxford, North Carolina.

     Lieutenant Commander James P. Hogan, 34, of Davenport, Iowa.    

     Lieutenant Paul L. Mellott, Jr., 31, of Chesapeake, Virginia.  He’s buried in Rest Haven Cemetery in Hagerstown, Maryland.  He was survived by a wife and two children.

     Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Kennedy, 25, of Warminister, Penn.

     Airman Paul J. Dellas, 21, of San Jose, California.

     Sources:

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Investigators Probe Helicopter Wreckage”, May 21, 1979, page A-4

     New York Times, “5 Killed As Navy Copter Crashes In Drizzle Near Manchester, N.H.”, May 21, 1979

     www.findagrave.com

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