Information on U.S. Marine Corps helicopter UH-34D tail number 150212
Date: 02/04/1969
Incident number: 69020444.KIA
Unit: HMM-362
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: AT990650 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 49PAT990650)
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC 1LT OPSAHL JAMES DEAN KIA
CP 1LT HAGLAGE ANDREW MARTIN KIA
CE LCP HARRINGTON JOHN DEE KIA
G LCP GREEN OTIS KIA
War Story:
I was flying north from Hill 55 when I noticed two H-34's turning on the ground in front of us just south of Hill 10. I watched them as we flew overhead to make sure they did not take off underneath us.
As soon as we cleared them to the north, I switched to DASC to report mission complete. DASC asked me if I had seen a midair that was just reported near my position. I said I had not and turned the aircraft back toward the south.
I saw the two columns of smoke and headed toward the area of the mishap. Marines from the ground unit had already rushed to the area but could nothing due to the intense heat from the burning magnesium. We only found one body. No survivors.
The FAC with a ground unit, an H-34 pilot from that squadron, knew all the pilots and crew. They had stopped to say "hi.” He stated, through tears, that as they took off dash two ran up underneath lead and, raising the nose, cut off the tail rotor of lead. Lead nose-dived, then pitched up before impact, shuddered and exploded. Dash two burst into flame in the air and the wreckage fell to earth. Submitted by Terry M. Curtis, Pilot of CH-46, first aircraft on scene
This record was last updated on 10/02/2008
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Date posted on this site: 08/17/2025
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