Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16189
The Army purchased this helicopter 0768
Total flight hours at this point: 00000334
Date: 01/15/1969
Incident number: 69011515.KIA
Unit: 198 BDE
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Unarmed Recon
Unknown this helicopter was Unknown at UNK feet and UNK knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: BS457762 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PBS457762)
Count of hits was not possible because the helicopter burned or exploded.
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = YES . .
The helicopter made a Forced Landing. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis
Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, LNOF, 90031, CASRP, CRAFX (Operations Report.
Lindenmuth Old Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P 1LT TAYLOR DEANE ARTHUR JR KIA
OB CPT BOWLES BRUCE GREGORY KIA
OB 1LT CHRISTENSEN JAN PAUL KIA
War Story:
I am married to the widow of Deane Taylor who was the pilot of this helicopter that was shot down on 1/15/69. On the 50th anniversary of his death (1/15/2019) I took her to the spot where his helicopter landed and met the Vietcong soldier who participated in the capture and execution of the crew. He told us that he was the one who then set the helicopter on fire. As an Air Force pilot of that war I never understood why the crew stayed by the helicopter after it crashed instead of running and finding a place to hide, and the Vietcong soldier answered that question by saying that one of the crew members suffered a broken leg and the other two crew members would not leave him. I have a photograph of that soldier taken after he took us to the exact spot where the helicopter came down.
From: Jim Ford
This record was last updated on 10/20/2025
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Date posted on this site:
06/20/2026
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