Army Reporter information
for 17 CAG
For date 690113
17 CAG was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Pleiku Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Camp Holloway
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Ripped strap holds, crane flys home" dated 13 Jan 1969.
As great an innovation as the CH-54 Flying Crane cargo helicopter is it has some hard moments. A 17th CAG Flying Crane was carrying a much needed load of twenty-foot-long steel "I" beams to Camp Holloway Pleiku when, suddenly, it seemed one of the straps might break, which could severely damage the aircraft and injure its crew. As the crane neared the end of its 80 mile jaunt, AC CWO Weldon C. Cooke received an excited call from his crew engineer, SP5 Reed Turner, "Sir, the right support strap is ripping!" "Stay on the emergency release switch, and if the strap breaks, try and punch it off in time." With only five miles to go, Cooke decided to go on. Turner watched the strap. Though the load hadn't moved, the trap's frayed edges flapped in the wind, and the few remaining miles seemed exceptionally long. Finally, the crane reached Camp Holloway, set down and released the precarious load. The strap held as Cooke felt certain it would.
Comments: CWO Cooke, Weldon C.; AC; ;
SP5 Turner, Reed; FE; ;
The source for this information was 6901AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023