More detail on this person: A/C crashed
between Elba and New Brockton on a training flight
from Ft. Rucker. This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site:
03/10/2024
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He was flying in chalk 2 position off of me when
the tail rotor hub failed. Having lost his tail
rotor, he still made a perfect landing down into
the pine forest below, pulled off all of the power
thru his collective going into the main blade, and
settled into the trees with a gentle set down;,
only to set down on a tree stump, which damaged
his fuel tank. The fuel rupture strayed fuel on
his engine and the huey blew up. He and a staff
sargeant both burned to death. It was instant. I
was the first one to the site and called in
Flatiron, but there was nothing to be done. I
pulled both of them from the wreckage or at least
what was left. Lt Redeker was my assistant
operation officer for the Runkel Tac Site at the
time and was the best pilot I ever met.
His loss remains with me to this day because at
the last moment before we went to the flight line,
his huey with serial number 593 had been assigned
to me because my normal huey 963 was in
maintenance. 5 minutes before we preflighted
maintenance called and told me that 963 was back
on the flight line and ready to go, so I went to
it and he took 593.
May God continue to hold his soul in his hands,
From: Capt Myers Armstrong