Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-13S tail number 63-09084
The Army purchased this helicopter 1163
Total flight hours at this point: 00002067
Date: 04/07/1968 MIA-POW file reference number: 1122
Incident number: 68040710.KIA
Unit: B/1/9 CAV
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 Unknown at UNK feet and UNK knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XD925512 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QXD925512)
Count of hits was not possible because the helicopter burned or exploded.
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (12.7MM)
The helicopter was hit in the Cockpit causing a Fire.
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 Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: 1122, OPERA,
LNNF, MISC, CASRP (Operations Report. Miscellaneous. Lindenmuth New Format Data Base.
Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P CPT MCMURRAY FRED HOWELL JR BNR
OB SGT POWERS JAMES J RES
REFNO Synopsis:
Scout pilot with b/1/9 cav 1 cav in OH-13. Shot down in Au Shaw Valley prior to push. Last light mission bird went down on fire. Observer got out and picked up. At first was reported fred was still in aircraft (dead). Next morning Blue's went in to recover body. Fred was not in aircraft. Chest protecter and helmet was found stacked up, like we did between missions. Name reported on document found later.
from Larry Brown
Loss Coordinates: 164413N 1064814E
Other Personnel In Incident: James J. Powers (rescued)
SYNOPSIS: At 1600 hours on April 7, 1968, 1Lt. McMurray was the pilot of an
OH13S helicopter, tail number 63-9084, with one observer/door gunner, Sgt.
James J. Powers. The aircraft departed the 1st Air Cavalry Division base at
Landing Zone Stud with an AH1G armed helicopter escort for a reconnaissance
mission in the support of an operation. 1Lt. McMurray was flying low-level
when he reported seeing several recently repaired weapons positions and freshly
used trails.
1Lt. McMurray marked the location with a smoke grenade to allow the AH1G to
identify and fire rockets on the target. He also reported sighting NVA
soldiers, whom he engaged. The escort helicopter continued to place suppresive
fire in the area, and transmitted a request for a rifle platoon which was
launched and was over the area in about 15 minutes. During the fighting, 1Lt.
McMurray's aircraft received enemy fire, began burning in flight, and crashed.
Sgt. Powers was subsequently rescued, but 1Lt. McMurray was not.
This record was last updated on 02/14/2020
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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