Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47C tail number 68-15810
The Army purchased this helicopter 0868
Total flight hours at this point: 00000698
Date: 07/18/1970
Incident number: 70071818.KIA
Unit: A/159 AVN
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Logistics Support mission for Resupply , Sling Loading.
While on Landing Zone this helicopter was on Take-Off at 0015 feet and 000 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YD331198 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QYD331198)
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (12.7MM)
causing a Fire.
Systems damaged were: ENGINE, PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 KIA, 04 WIA . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Burned
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, JSIDR, CRAFX, CASRP (Operations Report. Joint
Services Incident Damage Report. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
C SGT WALKER MICHAEL ALLEN KIA
War Story:
Hit by hostile fire while repositioning load. Aft section caught fire. Aircraft landed and rolled on one side into 105 ammo dump and burned. One person fatally injured.
Dick Jewell remembers - The aircraft took rounds on short final to FSB Ripcord with a blivit of diesel fuel in a sling load. The aircraft crashed and burned ultimately causing the evacuation of Ripcord. The Battalian Commander of Ripcord was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor Postumously for rescue attempt of Walker. "Peter Pilot" was CPT Edwin Grove (Pa) Maintainance Oficer of A/159 "short" and getting hours just before DEROS.
from Dick Jewell, December 2001.
This record was last updated on 12/15/2001
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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