Name: 1LT Harold Alan Preisendefer
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 10/21/1965 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 25.2
Date of Birth: 08/02/1940
Home City: Indiana, PA
Service: AT branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: A/1 AVN, 52 CAB
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 65-5
Service: AT branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 02E-129
Short Summary: During a recon of an LZ near Plei Me, the main rotor separated from the ship at 2,000 ft. All died in the crash and explosion.
Aircraft: UH-1B tail number 63-08647
Call sign: FALCON
Service number: O5219053
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: *
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: fire or burns
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Started Tour: 07/19/1965
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
Length of service: 03
Location: Pleiku Province II Corps.
Additional information about this casualty:
The unit history reads as follows: "On the morning of 21 Oct, Company A was called on to lift 240 ARVN Airborne Rangers from Camp Holloway to an LZ four kilometers north of the besieged camp. During the reconnaissance of the LZ one UH-1B (armed) of Company A suffered mechanical failure which resulted in seperation of the main rotor from the aircraft at 2000 feet absolute altitude. The helicopter crashed and exploded on impact. The aircraft was commanded by ... This crew was the first lost by Company A in the Republic of Vietnam."
The official name for this helicopter company when this event occured was Company A, 1st Aviation Battalion but on 20 Nov it would be redesignated the 155th Aviation Company (Air Mobile Light).
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died while missing
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Lutheran (Missouri Synod)
Burial information: ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, VA
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: officer
This record was last updated on 11/10/2000
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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