Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17341
The Army purchased this helicopter 0368
Total flight hours at this point: 00001520
Date: 03/05/1971 MIA-POW file reference number: 1717
Incident number: 71030505.KIA
Unit: C/158 AVN
Laos
UTM grid coordinates: XD425405 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QXD425405)
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Also: 1717 ()
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
G SP4 KING MICHAEL ELI RR
CE SP4 HATLEY JOEL CLINTON RR
P WO1 MOREIRA RALPH ANGELO JR KIA
P CPT NELSON DAVID LINDFORD KIA
REFNO Synopsis:
HATLEY, JOEL CLINTON
Crash Site Excavated (see text)
Name: Joel Clinton Hatley
Rank/Branch: E4/US Army
Unit: Company C, 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Brigade
Date of Birth: 24 October 1948 (Conrad KY)
Home City of Record: Albemarle NC
Date of Loss: 05 March 1971
Country of Loss: Laos
Loss Coordinates: 163850N 1061544E (XD425405)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
Category: 3
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: UH1H
Other Personnel In Incident: Michael E. King; Ralph A. Moreira; David L. Nelson
(all missing)
Source: Compiled by Homecoming II Project 01 September 1990 from one or more of
the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with
POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews.
REMARKS: EXPLOD - N RAD C - N SEARCH - J
SYNOPSIS: Lam Son 719 was a large-scale offensive against enemy communications
lines which was conducted in that part of Laos adjacent to the two northern
provinces of South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese would provide and command
ground forces, while U.S. forces would furnish airlift and supporting fire.
Phase I, renamed Operation Dewey Canyon II, involved an armored attack by the
U.S. from Vandegrift base camp toward Khe Sanh, while the ARVN moved into
position for the attack across the Laotian border. Phase II began with an ARVN
helicopter assault and armored brigade thrust along Route 9 into Laos. ARVN
ground troops were transported by American helicopters, while U.S. Air Force
provided cover strikes around the landing zones.
On March 5, 1971, during one of these maneuvers, a UH1H helicopter (tail
#67-17341) was in a flight of ten aircraft on a combat assault mission in
Savannakhet Province, Laos. The crew of the aircraft consisted of WO Ralph A.
Moreira Jr., pilot; Capt. David L. Nelson, aircraft commander; SP4 Michael E.
King, door gunner; and SP4 Joel C. Hatley, crew chief.
While on its final approach to Landing Zone Sophia, and at the time the pilot
should have been making his final turn, Nelson radioed that the aircraft had
been hit in the fuel cell and that the door gunner had been wounded in the head.
He then said they would attempt to return to the fire support base on the same
flight path as previously briefed.
After the other aircraft had disembarked their troops and were on their way back
to the fire support base, some of the other crewmen said they saw a chopper
believed to be that commanded by Nelson burst into flames, crash and explode. As
soon as the ball of flame was observed, attempts to make radio contact were made
with no success. No formal air to ground search was attempted because of enemy
anti-aircraft fire and ground activity in the area. All aboard the aircraft were
declared Killed in Action, Body Not Recovered.
In 1988 a former officer in the Royal Lao Army, Somdee Phommachanh, stated on
national television that he was held captive along with two Americans at a
prison camp in northern Laos. The Americans had been brought to the camp at
Houay Ling in 1978. One day Somdee found one of the prisoners dead in his cell.
Somdee identified the American very positively from a photo. His name, he said,
was David Nelson. Nelson was Somdee's friend and he would not forget him. Somdee
buried his friend with all the care he would a cherished loved one, given his
limited ability as a prisoner of war. Although Somdee has been threatened, he
has stuck to his story. Nelson's family is grateful to know his fate, but
outraged that David Nelson died over FIVE YEARS after American troops left
Southeast Asia and the President of the United States had announced that "all
American prisoners of war had been released." The U.S. Government did not inform
the other families of this development.
January 5-10, 1990, a joint US/Lao team excavated the site of the crash of the
helicopter lost on March 5, 1971. Not one piece of aircraft material was
recovered, although an unspecified number of teeth and a ring were found.
No remains whatever were found that could be attributed to David Nelson, but on
September 17, 1990, the Defense Department announced that all four men onboard
the aircraft had been positively identified and that the remains would be buried
in a "group" grave. When asked about the Somdee report, Ms. Shari Lawrence, a
civilian working with U.S. Army Public Affairs Office said, "We are not
concerned with that."
This record was last updated on 06/01/2000
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