Information on U.S. Army helicopter AH-1G tail number 67-15799
This record was last updated on 06/11/2002
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Date posted on this site:
10/25/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
The Army purchased this helicopter 1068
Total flight hours at this point: 00000664
Date: 12/16/1969
Incident number: 69121666.KIA
Unit: 235 AVN
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Armed Recon
While Enroute this helicopter was Unknown at UNK feet and UNK knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: WR549593 (To see this location on a map, go to https://legallandconverter.com/p50.html and search on Grid Reference 48PWR549593)
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.
Systems damaged were: MULTIPLE
Casualties = 02 DOI . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Down in Trees
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis
Center Helicopter database. Also: CRAFX, CASRP (Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P WO1 HAYES JAMES EDWARD KIA
AC CW2 MASON SVEN STERNING KIA
War Story:
Sven was my wingman went I got shot down in the U Minh Forrest while training with Death Dealer 28 (Red Dog Creagian) as flight lead 690503. Sven was flying wing on Red Dog the day of this action. They had been in the south around Ca Moa and where RTB in darkness. Since we often flew low navigating of the moon or star light on the canals. A navigation skill we had to master before becoming an Aircraft Commander. On the way home the boys flew over a classic RVN triangle compound next a cannel. I guess Red Dog woke them up with the low pass Cobra blade slap. Any way Sven took the brunt of the shooting aimlessly into the sky. Unfortunately his aircraft flew into the ground at high speed. Like I said earlier Cobras come apart badly. There apparently was no radio call or explosion or massive fire, because Red Dog our two and one half year continuous veteran in the company did not notice he'd lost his wingman until a few minutes later. When the daylight search located the crash site about a mile from the compound, they went in to survey the cause. Again I was waiting at homeplate for the combat lose determination. And there was one. The recovery team could not find their personal effects. The Battalion commander when into the compound and asked if they had these documents. They initially denied it, but when he said if you don't deliver them he'd call in an arc light on their compound. Suddenly they understood personal effects and they turned them over. A month or so later some thing bad happen to that compound. But Red Dog wasn't sure what caused it. "Greg"