Name: CPT Charles D. Jones
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 03/05/1965.
Service: .
Unit: AIR AMERICA LAOS
Service: .
Short Summary: Died of injuries when helicopter crashed near L-54.
Aircraft: UH-34D tail number H-26
Country: Laos
Primary cause: Engine Problems
Additional information about this casualty:
Charlie, a newly check-out captain, crashed when making an emeergency landing. He apparently had experienced engine problems and tried to land on a dirt strip on the side of a mountain. It is a difficult feat even if all goes right. For some undetermined reason he landed short of the strip and the helicopter rolled off the mountain, killing Charlie. The news of his death saddened me as I had liked and respected him. It seemed grossly unfair that a marine pilot with more than 20 years of flying experience in three wars should be killed in his second month with Air America. Written by Charles O. Davis in Across the Mekong page 60.
Crashed at Pho Lang Mon, 25 miles southeast of Luang Prabang (L-54), Laos, on 5 March 65, while resupplying a high mountain position (pad "Foxtrot") northwest of Moung Soui, killing Charles D. Jones and 4 passengers; H-26 suffered engine problems, crashed violently against the side of a mountain, rolled downslope, caught fire and finally came to rest hundreds of feet below, where it burnt to ashes, incinerating all occupants, except for a guide seated in the cockpit.
From: Sid Nanson
This record was last updated on 11/07/2013
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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