Helicopter UH-1H 67-17552


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17552
Date: 09/13/1968
Incident number: 68091302.KIA
Unit: A/1 AVN 1 INF
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XU779067 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PXU779067)
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory

Crew Members:
AC CPT PLUNKETT GERALD W KIA
P CW2 MANZANARES WILLIAM JR KIA
G SP4 LANTER RAYMOND EDWARD KIA
CE SP5 GUTIERREZ-VELAZQUEZ JOSE D KIA

Passengers and/or other participants:
MGN WARE KEITH LINCOLN, AR, PX, KIA
SGM VENABLE JOSEPH ALVIN, AR, PX , KIA
LTC OLIVER HENRY MCCARTY, AR, PX, KIA
1LT BECK STEVEN LEE, AR, PX, KIA


War Story:
I was close to this action, as a member of the Rebels, the 1st Infantry Division's organic gunship platoon. CPT Jerry Plunkett, and CW2 Bill Manzanares, both of whom I had roomed with early in my tour as a member of the Longhorns (Division C&C) General Ware's aircraft exploded in mid air with the crew, General Ware, the Division CSM, the Division G4 and the General' s aide all lost. Many losses were incurred trying to recover the bodies. I believe the gun platoon leader of 1/4 Cav was kia in a cobra trying to recover the bodies. General Ware was a hell of a commander, who I believe, won the Medal of Honor in Europe in WWII and was battlefield commissioned. Jerry and Bill and the crew were fine men, as were all. There was some speculation that the aircraft was sabotaged, possibly with a grenade with the firning handle held by a rubber band and dropped in the gasoline tank. We will never know. From: WGBEASJR@aol.com Date: Tue, 7 Jul 1998 I was the maintenance technician in A company 1st Aviation Bn at the time of this incident. Captain Plunkett spent the night with me a week before he was killed; we were both from Memphis. A Company had the slicks including the General's aircraft. B Company had the gunships, scouts, and the fixed winged aircraft. On that Friday the 13 at a little after 1300 hours they took off from a location in our northern AO and received ground fire knocking off 5 feet of their tail boom. They went into autorotation but the ship already with a extemely forward CG had real nose tuck. The gunner jumped before they reached the ground and did not survive. When they pulled collective at the bottom the rotorhead separated from the mast and the aircraft hit traveling down and sideways. All on board were killed including General Wares pet shepard. MG Ware had received the Medal of Honor in WWII. It was estimated that they were hit at 1313 hours; they had SOI No. 13 checked and one of the two pilots had 13 days left in country. Strange, but we had another Friday the 13 later. Ted Adams CWO Aircraft Maintenance Tech and test pilot., A Company 1st Aviation Bn 1st Inf Division RVN 1968-1969

This record was last updated on 05/01/2006


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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