Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1B tail number 64-14088
Date: 09/13/1966
Incident number: 66091313.KIA Accident case number: G359
Unit: 68 AHC
South Vietnam
Casualties = 03 KIA . . Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
costing 0
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC CPT ABEL CHARLES SEABORN KIA
P WO1 HIGGINS EDWIN RAY KIA
CE SP4 BERTSCH KENNETH RAY KIA
G AN CHILDERS ROGER DALE KIA
Accident Summary:
ACFT 1 OF 2 GUNSHIPS ESCORTING 5 SLICKS WITH TROOP LZ MISSED BECAUSE OF WX FLT ATTEMPTED RETURN TO BASE FLT BECAME SEPARATED IN HVY RAIN 088 SEEN SLOWING AND ENTERING TREES ACFT SETTLED THRU TREE LOW CEILING HVY RAIN GROUND FOG POOR VISIBILITY ACFT AND CREW MISSING
War Story:
From page 12, 68th AHC Annual History 1966 on-line at
http://www.68thahc.com/Unit_Reports/U_H_1966_01.pdf
"The 'Top Tigers' were called upon to supply a platoon and a heavy
fire team to support a classified operation. During the operation, four
men were lost when they were caught in a severe thunderstorm. Missing
in action are 1LT Charles S. Abel, WO Edwin R. Higgins, SP4 Kenneth
R. Bertsch, and a Navy personnel, training as a gunner with the 68th."
The "Navy personnel" was Airman CHILDERS (7949781). Correct unit is Det 1,
HC-1. The HC-1 dets went in-country 01 Jul 66 and were combined to form
HA(L)-3 on 01 April 1967.
This record was last updated on 05/11/2007
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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