Helicopter CH-46A 152552

Information on U.S. Marine Corps helicopter CH-46A tail number 152552
Date: 01/07/1969
Incident number: 69010777.KIA
Unit: HMM-165
South Vietnam
Casualties = 04 KIA . .
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: OPERA, POPASMOKE INCIDENT (Operations Report. )
Summary: Crashed into a mountain during bad weather on a routine flight between Marble Mountain and Chu Lai for mail and passengers.
Loss to Inventory

Crew Members:
AC 1LT FORD GLENN JESSE III KIA
CP 1LT JACOBS VINCENT LAWRENCE KIA
C SGT HOBART GLENN EDWARD III kIA
C SGT FLEMING PAUL DENNIS KIA

Passengers and/or other participants:
LT COVINGTON WILLIAM LEE, NA, PX, KIA

War Story:
The POPASMOKE incident reads: I was supposed to be with Glen on that flight when they crashed into a mountain. Vince, my room mate on the ship, took the flight because I had been out since day break and he did not have a flight that day. It was supposed to be an easy, afternoon mail run. However, they never came back. We think they were misdirected by a radar controller, but we don't know for sure. HMM-165 was aboard the Tripoli during the fall of 1968. I don't remember the exact months. We operated from it for three months as did other H-46 squadrons. We went ashore at Marble Mountain from the ship and remained there until the squadron was pulled from country. It was while we were at Marble that Glen Ford and Vince Jacobs were killed in the mountain crash. Their flight was just a routine run to Chu Lai for mail and passengers bound for Marble. It was a very cloudy day and they had to be radar vectored back to Marble. That was when it happened. Glen was a quiet guy, very friendly and easy to be his friend. He was very capable; that was why we had to believe that he was misdirected into the mountain. Vince was a typical New York Italian. He to was easy going and a good friend. He liked to laugh and have a good time. They were greatly missed. Submitted by Bill Turek, HMM-165. I am Dr. MaryAnne McIntyre Stoeppler and on 01/07/1969 was in the Army Nurse Corps and stationed at the 95th Evac. Hospital in DaNang. At that time I was engaged to Lt. Glenn J. Ford, III who was the pilot of 152552. On September 21,1969 this aircraft was found but conditions were so that they could not investigate. The following day a search and recovery team did return. The CH-46A had taken direct hits into the vital control area of the craft and they had crashed into a large tree. All 5 souls aboard were killed and their remains recovered including a cigarette lighter from one of the crew members. Lt. Glenn J. Ford,III was laid to rest in Michigan on October 16, 1969.

This record was last updated on 05/07/2007

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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023