Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1D tail number 65-09738
The Army purchased this helicopter 0366
Total flight hours at this point: 00002411
Date: 10/25/1969
Incident number: 69102555.KIA
Unit: B/101 AVN
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YC603759 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48QYC603759)
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:
AC CPT THORNTON DWIGHT JACKSON KIA
P WO1 HAMILTON MILBERT WALTER KIA
Passengers and/or other participants:
SSG SHULTZ CHARLES EDGAR, AR, PX, KIA
War Story:
I was flying peter pilot with CWO Dave Brown. The mission was a CCN mission and was to extract a ranger team in Laos. The team was inserted earlier that day and were in contact with a NVA regiment. They had made their way up to the top of a ridge to a hover LZ It was dusk and 4 aircraft were sent. We were chalk 3 and CPT Thornton and Monk (Hamilton's nick name) were chalk 4 this was probably because Thornton was a short timer, only had a couple of weeks. As there only about 10 packs.
It was getting dark and the team was using a strobe light to direct us to the LZ. There were also some scattered low clouds that we flew around. As we circled while chalk one made his approach into the LZ. The NVA opened up and the night air was full of tracer rounds and I could here the fire as chalk ones mike was keyed anyway they took several hits and were only able to get one or two of the packs. Chalk 2 had about the same results as the firing was continues.
Now it was our turn and as we turned on final there was chalk 4 in front of us. Dave called Thornton on the radio and Thornton said it was his fault that he would continue and we could circle and take the chalk 4 position. On final to the LZ their aircraft was hit with an RPG which inverted the aircraft and it crashed inverted into the hillside. We found out later that the crew chief and door gunner were thrown out of the aircraft and fell about 50 ft. into the brush they both survived but were black and blue from their fall.
We then headed back to Eagle as the other two aircraft were losing fuel from their hits. We landed at POL and were refueling when the company commander Major Pease drove up and took my place at right seat.
It was the next day before they got everyone back and recovered the aircraft.
CCN missions were top secret missions as they were nothing more than spy missions. It was also my understanding that the RPG hit the right seat pilot.
Anyway we were suppose to be that ship so you can understand how it has stuck in my mind all these years.
From: Ron C Webster
The above refers to WO Milbert Hamilton as Monk, a nickname. My name is Stanley Furman, and I lived next to WO Hamilton at Camp Eagle. I was nicknamed Monk, and was on R & R when the incident occurred. It's possible the writer made an error.
I Still miss Capt. Thornton and Ham (WO Hamilton's nickname).
From: Stan Furman
This record was last updated on 02/02/2019
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Date posted on this site:
10/25/2024
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