More detail on this person: Lama crash while working for Helimar SA, a Bolivian helicopter
operator in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Buried 23 Aug 92 in Brosville, VA.This is a newspaper article from
our local newspaper dated February 5, 1968. Bill Hyler was my brother in law he married my sister as
shown in the attached picture. We when in the Army about the same time he went to flight school
and I didn't. I take this article out and look at it every so often, he was a good man never met
anyone who didn't like him. We lost him about 8 years ago while he was flying for an American oil
company in Bolivia. Work was hard to find for a chopper pilot awhile back, 8 years ago so he took
the job in Bolivia working in the jungle. He would work so long over there and then they would send
him home to rest for 3 weeks and then go back, on his last trip home which took him 3 days from
Bolivia to get back home for the rest. But on his last trip home on R&R the day he walked in the
door the phone was ringing wanting him to come back because they had an expensive piece of
equipment they needed moved in the jungle and they wanted him to do it. He was sick with pneumonia
and on medication and exhausted but they talked him into coming back right away. That was his last
trip. He was lifting the piece of equipment out of the jungle when the cable caught the skid and
flipped the chopper upside down and he died instantly. They did not have any flight helmets for them
to use over there even though it was still a requirement. One of my Hero's. He is gone but never
forgotten.
From: Jim Minson
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site: 01/11/2025
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association