Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17841
The Army purchased this helicopter 1068
Total flight hours at this point: 00002229
Date: 03/27/1972 MIA-POW file reference number: 1806
Incident number: 72032701.TXT
Unit: 57 AHC
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YB985104 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYB985104)
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: 1806 ()
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P CW2 WOODS LARRY JAMES KIA
P 2LT QUAN NGO BINH RES
CE SP4 HANNON DENNIS A RES
G SSG WONG EDWARD PUCK KOW JR BNR
REFNO Synopsis:
SYNOPSIS: SP4 Edward Wong was a door gunner on a UH1H assigned to the 57th
Assault Helicopter Company. On March 27, 1972, he was in his position on a
mission to rescue the crew of a downed Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF) helicopter
which had crashed at a landing zone in Kontum Province, South Vietnam. The
other members of the crew were CW2 Larry J. Woods, pilot; 2Lt. Ngo Binh Quan,
VNAF co-pilot; and SP4 Dennis A. Hannon, crew chief. Also on board as
passengers were Capt. Lyle R. Rhoads, Jr, a U.S. Army advisor; and Capt. Nguyen
Duc Phuc, ground commander of the ARVN 3rd Battalion, 47th Regiment. Wong's
UH1H was identified as tail #67-17841.
Accompanying gunships made an attack pass to suppress enemy fire in the area,
and Wong's helicopter descended to make the rescue attempt. As the aircraft was
landing, it received heavy automatic weapons fire, crashed and rolled down a
hill, coming to rest upside down.
The two passengers exited the helicopter. Capt. Rhoads stated that he saw both
pilots and the crew chief get out of the helicopter, but did not see SP4 Wong
leave the aircraft. SP4 Hannon said that after exiting the helicopter, he had
seen SP4 Wong heading uphill and that he had a cut on his head and both legs
were bleeding. Capt. Rhoads asked the ARVN ground commander about the other
Americans. He indicated the location of the crew chief, and said that the other
crewman was down the hill, and the American pilot was still in the area of the
aircraft.
Later, when the ARVN unit on the LZ was preparing to walk to Fire Support Base
Charlie, an estimated 2 kilometers to the east, Capt. Rhoads talked to the crew
chief and saw the poncho liner/stretcher on which SP4 Wong allegedly was lying.
Capt. Rhoads did not see him, but saw his right hand holding the litter pole.
On his right hand was what appeared to be a class ring.
The ARVN unit and surviving Americans were joined by a relief company from Fire
Support Base Charlie, and proceeded to walk out at about 1600 hours on March
27. At some unspecified point along the trail, the litter bearers and the
litter supposedly carrying SP4 Wong were seen by SP4 Hannon to be resting along
the trail. This is the last time that this litter was seen by the surviving
Americans.
At about 1830 hours, back at the LZ, an orbiting gunship saw one individual
wearing black clothing standing on the landing zone waving a piece of white
cloth. Fifteen feet away from this man were four or five individuals wearing
black or dark clothing, and hidden in a bush hedge. The gunship questioned
Capt. Rhoads by radio about the location of friendly forces, and after having
been assured twice that all friendlies were off the landing zone, opened fire
with rockets. The gunship pilot reported that he hit the group.
Upon reaching Fire Support Base Charlie, casualties were loaded into two VNAF
and one U.S. Army medivac helicopters. At that time, it was reported that SP4
Wong had been loaded on one of the VNAF helicopters by mistake. Searches were
made in the ARVN hospital that had received the wounded and dead from this
incident, but Wong was not found. Efforts were made on March 28 and 29 to
search the LZ and the trail taken by the survivors, but enemy action prevented
this. Wong was never seen again.
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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