Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 67-16268
The Army purchased this helicopter 0568
Total flight hours at this point: 00001694
Date: 12/09/1971
Incident number: 71120935.KIA
Unit: C/16 CAV
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: VR890777 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PVR890777)
Casualties = 02 KIA . .
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:
P WO1 WALTON LEWIS ALAN KIA
G SSG PAWELKE RICHARD CHARLES KIA
War Story:
While performing hunter-killer reconnaissance missions, a team of two OH-6A scouts, one UH-1H command and control aircraft, and two AH-1G cobra gunships were directed to assist an ARVN (Army Republic of Vietnam) unit engaged with an NVA (North Vietnamese Army) force of unknown size maneuvering in an area called The U Minh Forest.
Operating at treetop altitude, both OH-6As were hit by fire from multiple small arms and anti-aircraft machine guns, downing each in quick succession. The first aircraft downed was OH-6A 67-16013 piloted by Darkhorse 14, WO1 Jay Damon and crewed by SP/4 Jim Hand. Damon and Hand were rescued by the C&C Huey flown by Capt Ron Sheller and Major McCarthy. The second aircraft downed was OH-6A 67-16268, piloted by Darkhorse 18, WO1 Lewis Walton and crewed by SGT Rick Pawelke; the aircraft sustained catastrophic damage and struck the ground in an uncontrolled fashion, nose-down and to the right. Both Walton and Pawelke died, either killed by enemy fire or by the impact forces.
Despite repeated efforts to rescue/recover the crew of Darkhorse 18 on December 9, 1971, intense enemy groundfire and fighting in the area delayed recovery of the bodies until December 11. Although it was rumored the crew was captured and executed by the NVA on December 9, eyewitness accounts confirm both crewmembers perished during the downing of OH-6A 67-16268.
This record was last updated on 09/11/2022
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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023
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