Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 68-15032
The Army purchased this helicopter 0169
Total flight hours at this point: 00000315
Date: 08/20/1969
Incident number: 690820251ACD Accident case number: 690820251 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: D/3/5 CAV
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was an Unknown mission
While in Target Area this helicopter was Attacking at 0150 feet and UNK knots.
The station for this helicopter was Dong Tam in South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: XT437383 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PXT437383)
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: UNK
Casualties = YES . . Number killed in accident = 2 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 0
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
costing 593230
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: OPERA, JSIDR
(Operations Report. Joint Services Incident Damage Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
AC WO1 TABER MARTIN LESTER KIA
P WO1 WALDOWSKI JAMES RICHARD KIA
Accident Summary:
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PARAGRAPH COMES FROM WITNESS STATEMENTS. AT APPROXIMATELY 1800 HOURS 20 AUGUST 1969 WO1 TABER AND WO1 WALDOWSKI PREFLIGHTED AH-1G SERIAL NUMBER 68-15032 AND ASSUMED THEIR DUTIES AS COUNTER MORTAR STANDBY CREW. AT 2030 HOURS DONG TAM STARTED RECEIVING INCOMING MORTARS. THE LIGHT FIRE TEAM OF AH-1G'S LED BY WO1 TABER SCRAMBLED AND MADE THREE (3) MINI-GUN RUNS ON THE COORDINATES FURNISHED BY DONG TAM, ARTILLERY. THE WING AIRCRAFT COMMANDER MENTIONED A BURNING STRUCTURE AND WO1 TABER DECIDED TO MAKE A RUN ON IT HEADING 090 DEGREES. ON THIS PASS HIS XM-18 SYSTEM BECAME INOPERATIVE, SO HE BROKE RIGHT AND RETURNED FOR ANOTHER RUN USING ROCKETS. HE ININITIATED HIS ROCKET RUN AT APPROXIMATELY 600 FEET AGL, HEADING 090 DEGREES. WO1 TABER FIRED FOUR PAIRS OF ROCKETS ON THIS RUN AND WITNESSES STATE THAT HE TUCKED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT IN AN EFFORT TO PUT THE LAST PAIR OF ROCKETS ON TARGET. HE THEN TRANSMITTED "BREAKING RIGHT", AND THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED, EXPLODING ON IMPACT. CW2 CHARLES J NOLE, AIRCRAFT COMMANDER OF THE WING AIRCRAFT, CHECKED THE CRASH SITE WITH HIS SEARCHLIGHT AND COULD SEE NO SIGN THAT THE CREW SURVIVED THE CRASH. AT 0715 HOURS 21 AUGUST 1969 THE AERO RIFLE PLATOON WAS INSERTED TO PICK UP THE BODIES AND RECOVER SALVAGEABLE PARTS. THE AIRCRAFT CRASHED IN A SLIGHT NOSE LOW ATTITUDE HEADING 135 DEGREES. THE CREW WAS FOUND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WRECKAGE APPROXIMATELY TWO (2) METERS APART.\\
This record was last updated on 10/09/2001
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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