Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16239
This record was last updated on 12/23/2007
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
The Army purchased this helicopter 0868
Total flight hours at this point: 00002133
Date: 01/09/1971
Incident number: 71010919.KIA
Unit: A/377 ART 101 ABN
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Unarmed Recon
While Enroute this helicopter was Unknown at 0100 feet and 060 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YD201750 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QYD201750)
Helicopter took 4 hits from:
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 03 DOI . .
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, LNNF, CASRP, FM385 (Operations Report. Lindenmuth
New Format Data Base. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P CW2 WIRTH GORDON LEE JR KIA
CE CPL SYSAK CRAIG ALAN KIA
OB SP4 LILLEY DAVID WILLIAM KIA
War Story:
I flew to the medivac station that day where the other chopper landed ( 10 ft. from the door ) they all were shot. Sp.4 Dave Lilly was in my platoon, the huey platoon, he was not supposed to be in a loach that day, it was not his platoon. I do not remember the name of the crewchief he took the place of, I remember they switched for the hell of it. That crewchief was torn up it was supposed to be him. Our previous platoon Sgt. would not have allowed him to switch. He was Sgt. Dennis Rocco of Yonkers N.Y. he watched over us.
From: Bill Flowers, crewchief/door gunner A/377th. 101st. Airborne Camp Eagle, Viet Nam.