Information on U.S. Army helicopter U-6A tail number 57-16384
Date: 01/03/1971
Incident number: 71010310.KIA
Unit: 61 AHC
Source(s) from which the incident was created or updated: War Story as related by a witness.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P MAJ RHODES FERRIS ANSEL JR BNR
PP CPT PARSONS MICHAEL DUANE BNR
PP CW3 HOLGUIN LUIS GALLEGOS BNR
PP CW3 OKERLUND THOMAS RICHARD BNR
CX SP6 MAGEE PATRICK JOSEPH BNR
Passengers and/or other participants:
SP6 PALEN CARL ANTHONY, AR, CX , BNR
CW3 OMELIA DENNIS WILLIAM, AR, PP, BNR
War Story:
The pilot of the U-6A Beaver was MAJ. Ferris A. Rhodes Jr. listed on line 24 of panel 5W. The reason I know this is I was
supposed to be on that flight. Dennis O'Melia took my place as the maintenance officer. Both Dennis and Thomas had just returned from R&R and wanted to get back to flying. If I remember correctly, Thomas Okerlund took Franklin McFaddens place as the other C model pilot. The mission was to pick up two C models and a H model. These aircraft had been looked at about a week earlier but had some problems that needed to be corrected. The weather had been bad for most of the time. On the day of there departure to pick up the aircraft, I ferried them over to Quin Oion Airfield to meet the fixed wing. Introduced them to Maj.(then
Capt.) Ferris, and departed for LZ English. I do not think I'll ever forget either Dennis or Thomas, as well as the rest of the crew. Dennis, Thomas and I all started in class 70-1 they both went to Savanah, Ga. I went to Rucker. Dennis and I worked in
maintenance until we were reassigned to Guns.
Jim Beach, StarBlazer 24, May 1999.
This record was last updated on 08/30/2005
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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