Boeing's CH-47D Chinook helicopter 91-00231.

91-00231

91-00231, Boeing D model kit number M3380, was a CH-47D helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 30 December 1991. As of 22 June 1998, 91-00231 had accumulated 461.7 D model hours and 2,334.7 total aircraft hours. 91-00231 was a conversion from the original C model Chinook 74-22280. On 7 December 1990, 91-00231 was inducted into the D model program, converted, and initially scheduled for assignment to the Maryland National Guard. At some point, 91-00231 was tranferred to Fort Rucker and was located at Knox Army Airfield. In early 2006, 91-00231's number one engine (a GA-714A powerplant) was severely damaged when a mechanic left a mallet in the inlet after using it to turn the compressor while installing a new Hydromechanical Unit (HMU). When the maintenance test pilots ran the aircraft up the mallet was ingested causing massive foreign object damage (FOD) to the compressor section. Sparks and large chucks of molten metal could be seen exiting the engine by the copilot as he looked aft via the cockpit mirror. In mid-2006, 91-00231 was painted under contract in Brantley, Alabama. On 5 November 2007, 91-00231 was scheduled to depart Fort Rucker enroute to Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Texas, for D to D turn-in. The last known location of 91-00231 was at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Aircraft status: Flyable.

91-00231 on the ramp at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Click-N-Go Here to view a larger image.

(Above and Below) 2 November 2007: CH-47D Chinook helicopter 91-00231 as it sat on the ramp at Knox Army Airfield, Fort Rucker, Alabama. The aircraft was prepped to fly to Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Texas, for what was known as D to D turn-in. Once at CCAD, the aircraft would be repaired as necessary and then transferred to a unit in need of a replacement helicopter.