Helicopter UH-1C 64-14120


Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 64-14120
The Army purchased this helicopter 0965
Total flight hours at this point: 00001380
Date: 03/05/1970
Incident number: 70030505.KIA
Unit: 195 AHC
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YU249402 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYU249402)
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 CW2 DOUGAN CHARLES GARVIN KIA
P 1LT RABB ROBERT IRA KIA
CE SGT HOWELL JAMES LAURENCE KIA
G SP4 SMITH JAMES DELVIN KIA


War Story:
I was the crew chief who for whatever reason did not fly that day. I was in the 195th gun platoon (Thunderchickens) from February 1969 -October 1970. I flew with Dougan from the time he arrived. Sorry, but do not remember Lt. Rabb. For the record, we terminated the mission after the crash. Tried several times that day to get them out, but it was too hot, everyone was taking fire. If I remember correctly, the bodies were recovered 2 days after the crash. This did happen in Cambodia, not South Vietnam. The 195th at Quan Loi only worked in Cambodia, until the invasion in mid-1970. There were several eyewitnesses that saw the helicopter impact. It was hit by an RPG and exploded. Every effort was made to extract them including putting a Special Forces recovery team on the ground two days after the incident. The recovery team did see all personnel still in the aircraft. James W. Brawner

I was there that day and I was to fly the primary flight as crew chief as the regular crew chief was at a dental appointment. There was a change that morning that put my ship as secondary. Howell and I were the maintenance guys that stayed at Quan Loi I offered to let Howell say down as he didn’t like to fly guns but he said he wanted to that day. They were shot down on 3/5/1970 we tried to insert a Bright Light team but the site was covered with a 51cal. gun and lots of small arms. We didn’t retrieve the bodies till May 3rd. I know that as I flew crew chief of the ship that went in that day. From: Bill Crosby

This record was last updated on 07/10/2010


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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