Information on Air America helicopter UH-34D tail number H-G
Date: 05/30/1961
Incident number: 610530AA.KIA
Unit: AIR AMERICA LAOS
The station for this helicopter was Padong in Laos
Casualties = 02 KIA . .
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: War Story as related by a witness. Also: Air America Aircraft Accident Review dated 22 Mar 68 ()
Summary: Landing accident caused by loss of control after entering a cloud during approach to Padong
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P CPT WIZBOWSKI WALTER L KIA
CP FO MATEER CHARLES H KIA
War Story:
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 05/25/1998
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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