Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-13S tail number 63-09183
Date: 10/20/1967
Incident number: 67102025.KIA
Unit: D/1/4 CAV 1 INF
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Unarmed Recon
While in Operations Area this helicopter was at Level Flight at UNK feet and UNK knots.
South Vietnam
Count of hits was not possible because the helicopter burned or exploded.
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 DOI, 01 INJ . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Burned
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis
Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, LNNF, FM232, CRAFX, CASRP (Operations Report.
Lindenmuth New Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P WO1 BICKSLER ROBERT M JR RES
OB SP4 JETT WILLIAM HOWARD KIA
War Story:
I was flying command and control in an OH-13S about half way between Lai Khe and An Loc on Thunder when a radio call came in that a scout in an OH-13S went in about five clicks west of that point. I was flying a Major in the battalion and went immediately to the scene. The aircraft was part of a Pink Team - two OH-13S's flying low level with the lead digging in the trees and the wing flew in circles around him. There were two gunships above at 1,000 feet AGL. The lead OH-13S's pilot was 1LT Ellwood Foderlind. All of the remaining aircraft were circling when we arrived except 1LT Soderlind who landed and pulled the pilot out. The door gunner was trapped and burned to death. I landed and tried to clear an LZ for the Clowns to land (slick platoon) to insert ARPS. It was too tight for Hueys so I flew back to one of the fire support bases and picked up tools and came back and cleared a small LZ by hand. When the slicks inserted, there were several rotor strikes. The battalion command officer landed after the action and got a Silver Star. 1LT Ellwood Soderlind received a Silver Star. The major and I received ARCOM's with a "V" Device. We never knew why the aircraft crashed. from Garrett O. Lewis, July 1997.
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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