JOHNSON JOHN CUMMINGS

CW2 John Cummings Johnson was a potential VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 03/15/1975 at the age of 27.5
Dallas, TX
Flight Classes 70-21 and 70-9
Date of Birth 09/01/1947
Served in the U.S. Army
This information was provided by Robert H. Cornell,TAGCEN Casualty database.

More detail on this person: UH-1 helicopter crash in West Germany while acting as a pilot. He was stationed with the 2nd Plt., 421st Medevac Co./unit (Air Ambulance) at the Schweinfurt AAF along with D Trp., 3/7 Cav. of which I was a member and Commo Chief. I was/am very familiar with the details of the tragic accident he, his co-pilot, WO1 Desmond P. Downey, Crew Chief Spec. 5 Earl D. Rankhorn and Flight Medic Spec. 5 Harvey J. Salas were involved in.

CW2 Johnson and his crew were scrambled in the early hours of 15 March 1975 to respond to an accident on a German highway (not sure if it was the Autobahn or not) involving (2) GI's who flipped a jeep while drunk from what I remember. When they were known to be overdue a second Medevac Huey was launched approximately 1 hour later with that Huey commanded by Capt. George Wise (XO, 2/421st). They followed the flight route/plan of Johnson's Huey and came across a still burning wreck. They apparently had a "blade strike" and crashed and burned. It was determined that Johnson was dead along with the other crew members - SP5 Rankin, crew chief, who had Nam experience, apparently dove back into the "safety" of the "hell hole" of the Huey - the side area behind the engine/transmission but when the chopper crashed it rolled and he was crushed underneath. SP5 Salas, flight medic, was found outside the chopper and was decapitated by the still rotating blades apparently. WO1 Downey was found with his hand held strobe beacon from his survivor vest in his hand. It was a horrific accident and deeply affected many of us from both units who knew and were friends with the crew. As I recall, CW2 Johnson had recently become a father to a son - he would be 41 years old now having grown up without his dad. WO1 Downey was a fellow New Yorker (I live out on Long Island) so we were "homies". In researching his family's whereabouts out in Seattle, Wa., I was able to correspond with his younger brother. Their father was an Army officer and for a time an instructor at West Point. WO Downey was a really nice guy - he was not caught up in the ego of being an officer and helicopter pilot and always had a smile. SP5 Rankin was from the backwoods of Kentucky or West Virginia and had been a crew chief in our unit D - 3/7 Cav. and re-upped to get into 2/421st. He was a really nice guy as well - very professional and a good friend to us all. SP5 Salas was a good friend of my best friend in my unit who was of Mexican descent like Salas. He always enjoyed a good time and was a good friend. The 2/421st was a very "strac" unit - the personnel were extremely professional and good friends to us all. They shared our hanger (former Luftwaffe hanger during WWII) and the care they gave their equipment impressed everyone. Their Huey's were polished, and the (2) ready choppers were always in line in their side of the hanger with the front one being hooked up with towbars to their jeep. Their protocol was that the on duty crew had to be cranking up within 8 minutes of an emergency call. Those crew members who lived off post would stay in their ready room during their tours. When a call came in the CQ runner would open the massive hanger doors and pull the duty Huey out onto the hardstand. There he would remove all blade tie downs and open the a/c doors to facilitate immediate departure of the medevac - the chopper was even "pre-flighted" to save time! In the days that followed the accident, the wreckage of the Huey was placed on the floor of our hanger. I remember seeing all the broken pieces and thinking that there wasn't but a few pieces larger than a foot square. I remember speaking with one of the guys who accompanied one of the crew back to stateside and it was rough to say the very least. I don't think I could have done it but I'm glad that it is done and that there were guys who could do it. It was a very sad time and one I shall never forget. They were good men doing their duty to save other people and they were proud to do it. I shall be thinking of each of them this Memorial Day as is befitting.

From: Robert H. Cornell

This information was last updated 05/18/2016

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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