MATEER CHARLES H

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Name: FO Charles H. Mateer
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 05/30/1961 while performing the duty of Co-pilot.
Service: .
Unit: AIR AMERICA LAOS
Flight class: 59-7
Service: .
Short Summary: Landing accident caused by loss of control after entering a cloud during approach to Padong
Aircraft: UH-34D tail number H-G
Service number: O5503495
Country: Laos
Primary cause: A/C Accident

Additional information about this casualty:
On March 29, 1961, Clarence J. Abadie led a flight of 16 UH-34s from Bangkok to Air America's new found operating base at Udorn in northeastern Thailand, some 40 miles south of Vientiane. The helicopter force soon became involved in supporting Hmong forces engaged in fierce battle with the Pathet Lao at Padong, a mountain top position south of the PDJ. On May 30, the first Air America helicopter pilots died in Laos, when Charles Mateer and Walter Wizbowski crashed in bad weather attempting to land supplies to the besieged Hmong garrison at Padong. from http://www.air-america.org

This record was last updated on 12/22/1997


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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023


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