Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15763
The Army purchased this helicopter 0968
Total flight hours at this point: 00000300
Date: 06/16/1969
Incident number: 69061666.KIA
Unit: 361 AWC
This was a Combat Loss caused by being shot down by Ground Fire less than .50 cal in size with the mission function of Armed Helicopter (having primary weapon subsystems installed and utilized to provide direct fire support)
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Armed Escort , Other Aircraft.
While Enroute this helicopter was at Level Flight at UNK feet and 110 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YB907268 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PYB907268)
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. (7.62MM)
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 02 DOI . .
Search and rescue operations were Not Required
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:
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center AVDAC database. Defense Intelligence Agency
Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter
database. Also: OPERA, LNOF, 90307, MISC, CASRP, JSIDR (Operations Report. Miscellaneous.
Lindenmuth Old Format Data Base. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory and Helicopter was not recovered
Crew Members:
AC WO1 CLOTFELTER MARK DENNIS KIA
P WO1 MAHOWALD MICHAEL ALLEN KIA
War Story:
Marks commanding officer wrote to me "At the time of the loss of your Brother, on the eastern airstrip was an Air Calvary Troop from the 4th Division, (their base camp was about 5 miles south of Pleiku). Someone in the bunker requested that a reconnaissance be made of the road from Dak To to Ben Het to get a feel for the level of the entrenchment by the VC and to determine if it was feasible and or possible to run in a relief column as a ground convoy to the beseiged camp. For some reason rather than passing the request over to the Air Calvary unit as they should have done, my guys from the 361st said that they would do it. A can do attitude. It was on this reconnaissance mission that his helicopter was hit and shot down.
What was very upsetting was that it was not our units type of mission to do that, to conduct a reconnaisance. We were fire support. Reconnaissance was a perfect Air Calvary Unit mission for that is what they were designed and equipped to do with scout helicopters, a few gun ships, and some ground infantry troops carried in UH-1's. I was unable to get support for the ground recovery operation for several days and finally five of us just flew in with small arms and with overhead cover fire team we made the recovery...After we were able to get into the site, recover the bodies and obtain positive identification, I wrote and sent my second letter to your family reporting his untimely death."
"I remember my first letter to you reported that his AH-1G Cobra Attack Helicopter from the 361st Attack Helicopter Company stationed at Camp Holloway just south of the city of Pleiku Vietnam,while on a mission, his helicopter had been hit by North Vietnamese ground fire. The helicopter after it was hit, had turned upside down and in that position dropped to the earth, from about 500-600 feet in altitude, crashed and immediatly caught fire. His wing man circling saw the whole incident and reported that he did not think it was possible that anyone could have survived the impact and no one was seen leaving the crash." Well that is what he wrote pertaining to Marks death. Let me know if it does change what I have from you already. Thanks again for your help.
Susan Blaker, sister of KIA Mark Clotfelter in Helicopter 67-15763, 4 May 1997
This record was last updated on 04/15/2004
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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