Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1B tail number 63-12906
Date: 11/10/1966
Incident number: H122ACD Accident case number: H122
Unit: D/1/4 CAV 1 INF
South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 0 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 3
costing 241950
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA, William D. Livinston (Operations Report. )
Summary: Hit by a B-40 rocket
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC CPT BRADLEY SYLVAN KEITH KIA
P 1LT SMITH LLOYD STEVEN KIA
CE PFC BACZALSKI JOSEPH KIA
G PFC CARMICHAEL ALFRED JR KIA
Accident Summary:
While this aircraft was on a recon, a pilot of another aircraft heard a Mayday. The pilot went to the site of the crash. The aircraft was burned beyond identification in area of heavy jungle and insecure. Burned remains have not been positively identified as missing aircraft.
This record was last updated on 05/28/2001
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
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War Story:
906 went down in the Iron Triangle on 10-Nov-66 while I was in
processing into Camp Alpha, at Di An. Here is my account from the story I heard.
While in for P.E, Main Rotor T.T. Straps were twisted. After FTF
and Gun check, aircraft was descending into a gun run from 1500 feet. The main rotor disengaged from the mast and causing the helicopter to crash and burn. One main rotor blade was found approximately 1000 meters from the crash site. In January or February 1967, after much recon and planning, Maintenance Officer Maj. Merrill, CWO Jerry Dixon, Maintenance Sgt Bill Munsterman, CE Richard Mitchell and CE in training me, Balfour landed at the engineered prepared LZ and walked approximately 25-50 meters to the crash site.
The area was secured by grunts and the Graves Registration team was there. All guns were scattered and burned with ammo. The site had not been found by the VC or the NVA, to best of my knowledge. The Graves Registration people were picking up bones and personal junk. The Jan/Feb time frame is approximate. It's been over 30 years and I am old and sterile, I mean senile.
SP4 Tommy Balfour, Sep 97.
This is Ken Hodges, former Clown 2 and Dark Horse 7 of the 1/4 Cav, 1996-1997. I am going to try some 35 year old memory cells. This is the way I remember losing Capt. Sylvan (I remember him as Keith) Bradley.
Earlier on Nov. 10, 1996 were flying out of Quan Loi, up by An Loch, doing, I think villages seals. About mid day we moved our operation from there to Tay Ninh. We had the whole Troop out, Scouts, Slicks and Guns. There was very little talk on the radio enroute that day. When we landed, Bradley was not with us. What ever got them (no one knows for sure), happened so quick they didn't even get off a radio call.
We went back and looked for them and found a hole in the trees and decided that was the crash site. It was impossible to get an aircraft close enough and to far to send in the ARP's from the nearest clearing. It was in no man's land!
Later that evening, Capt Gary Beech volunteered for a very dangerous mission. I have a lot of respect for Gary (he was the Clown Platoon leader). Gary took 4 LRRP's back to the crash site, repeled them in to look for survivors. I think Cpt Bob Pasour, LRRP platoon leader also volunteered along with 3 others to go on the ground and check things out. They found the aircraft and all on board were lost. Then Gary had to pull the LRRP's out on ropes and fly a considerable distance to find a clearing big enough to land and put them back on the aircraft.
I think the co-pilot was a Lt. Smith, sorry, don't remember his first name. Don't know names of the rest of the crew.
Like I said that's the way I remember it. Maybe someone else can also remember and between a bunch of us piece the story back together again.
As far as the tail number, if you are in touch with Capt Danny Rosentahl (Rosie), Bradley was flying his wing. I know that Rosie remembers what happened. I don't think anyone that lost his wing in combat would ever forget the details to include the tail number.
ken hodges