| |
66-19101, Boeing build number B-359, was a CH-47B helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 23 May 1967. 66-19101 accumulated 1,250.0 aircraft hours. At some point, 66-19101 was assigned to B Company - "Varsity", 159th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion (ASHB) - "The Liftmasters", 101st Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division - "Screaming Eagles", I Corps - which covered the country from Da Nang to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). On 13 April 1970, was shot down in combat while on approach to Fire Support Base (FSB) Fuller in the DMZ. While loaded with much needed supplies, including MOGAS (military regular gasoline) and High Explosives (HE), and on short final, 66-19101 received mortar fire. A round struck the aircraft on the left hand side of the fuselage in the radio closet and near the flight control closet. The aircraft crashed onto the pad where the crew intended to land and was destroyed by the subsequent post-crash fire. One crewmember, the door gunner could not be located and perished in the crash. Of the remaining crew, five received major injuries and one received minor injuries consisting of burns and other wounds. On the day prior to the crash, 66-19101 had successfully delivered two loads of high explosives to the FSB while under the escort of AH-1 Cobra helicopters. However, on the last day, inclement weather prevented the escort aircraft from protecting the cargo ship. CW2 Mayer was the Aircraft Commander on 66-19101's final flight. The last known location of 66-19101 was in the Republic of Vietnam. Aircraft status: Shot down in combat. |
