Information on U.S. Air Force helicopter UH-1F tail number 63-13164
Date: 01/03/1969
Incident number: 69010320.KIA
Unit: 20 SOS
South Vietnam
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: OPERA, Abbr unit history (Operations Report. )
Summary: Shot down and lost while attempting to recover a beleaguered SF team near Duc Lap.
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
C SGT ZENGA RONALD PAUL KIA
War Story:
On January 3, 1969, a U.S. Air Force helicopter UH-1F (tail number 63-13164) operating from Ban Me Thuot was making its second attempt to extract a Special Forces patrol in Cambodia. As they came to a hover above the trees, enemy fire struck the fuel cells setting the aircraft on fire. They were able to accelerate the aircraft and attempted a landing in a small jungle clearing but the engine failed just short of the clearing and the helicopter crashed into the trees. The crew chief, SGT Ronald P. Zenga, was pinned under the aircraft and died in the ensuing fire. [Taken from wikipedia.org and vhpa.org]
This record was last updated on 01/13/2016
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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