WENTZEL MERLYN LEE

Click here for more information about this incident

Name: WO1 Merlyn Lee Wentzel
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 08/17/1970 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 24.3
Date of Birth: 04/29/1946
Home City: Franktown, CO
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 119 AHC, 52 CAB
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 70-1
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 08W-121
Short Summary: Low leveling down a river, tailboom struck sandbar while avoiding a fishing tower. Only one PAX survived.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 67-17587
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 100B = Utility/Observation Helicopter Pilot
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: vehicular accident
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: aircraft commander
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 04/19/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Binh Dinh Province II Corps.
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Methodist (Evangelical United Brethren)
Burial information: CEDAR HILL CEMETERY, CASTLE ROCK, CO
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: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 07/27/1998


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: 11/13/2023


Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association