Name: WO1 Michael James Hatfield
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 03/22/1970 while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 21.6
Date of Birth: 08/17/1948
Home City: Grayling, MI
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 190 AHC, 12 CAG
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 69-41/69-37
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 12W-033
Short Summary: Single ship hover down LZ - rocky ledge surrounded by jungle. rpg hit left rear crew compartment blowing off tailboom, engine.
Aircraft: UH-1D tail number 65-09629
Call sign: SPARTAN 17X
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 100B = Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot
Primary cause: RPG
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: pilot
Started Tour: 01/20/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - pilot
Location: Binh Tuy Province III Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: YT930167
Additional information about this casualty:
Flying as co-pilot on a UH-1D single ship hover down LZ. Rocky ledge surrounded by jungle. RPG hit left rear crew compartment blowing off tailboom, engine and rotorsystem. Mike killed instantly from head injuries - could not be pulled from burning aircraft of 5 grunts on board 2 were wounded. Pilot and door gunner wounded.
from J. Logan, Spartan 17 July 1993
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Hostile - killed
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
Burial information: ELMWOOD CEMETERY, GRAYLING, MI
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
This information is available on CD-ROM.
Additional information is available on KIAs at http://www.coffeltdatabase.org
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
KIA statistics
Return to the Helicopter Pilot KIA name list
Return to the KIA panel date index
Date posted on this site: 08/17/2025
Copyright © 1998 - 2025 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association