Helicopter CH-21C 51-15903


Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-21C tail number 51-15903
Date: 01/02/1963
Incident number: 05601ACD Accident case number: 05601 Forced Landing without damage Accident
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 3 . . Passengers = 0
costing 0
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Army Aviation Safety Center database.

Crew Members:
P CW CH FLIPPIN
CP CW NYSEWANDER
CE E3 DE MOSER
G SP4 BRAMAN DONALD LEON KIA


War Story:
On January 2, 1963, the 93rd Transportation Company was tasked for an air assault by troops of the ARVN, 7th Infantry Division. All ten CH-21 helicopters were used in the lift. On the fourth lift, the landing zone near Ap Bac was ambushed by an entrenched and reinforced VC battalion. The first 4 CH-21s were able to take off again. The #5 helicopter was shot down, and the #6 CH-21 attempted to pick up the crew of the downed CH-21, but was shot down itself. The landing zone was judged untenable due to enemy fire, and the remainder of the flight departed for the staging area at Tan Hiep. An hour later, ground troops in the area reported that VC firing had subsided and evacuation of the downed crews was possible. A CH-21 was dispatched to recover the downed crews and wounded, but the tempo of enemy fire increased and the pilot was wounded. The copilot immediately lifted off, leaving all behind. Eight hours later, the downed aircrews were picked up by ARVN armored personnel carriers and moved to an area where they could be evacuated by helicopter. By day's end, nine Americans had been wounded and one killed in action. Of the ten helicopters on the mission, all had been hit by enemy fire, four were shot down and only three could fly back to base. SP4 Donald L. Braman, gunner in the #6 CH-21 was killed. He received a posthumous Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions to recover the downed #5 aircrew. The 93rd Trans Co eventually became the 121st Assault Helicopter Company. [Taken from transchool.lee.army.mil]

This record was last updated on 06/05/2015


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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