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KIA Incident Forum
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Topic starter
Found a document showing that two H-34's collided in mid-air killing two 5th SF men at 1030h/670704. Coordinates are deleted and marked as 'classified'. Remains found on 670706 and taken to Danang morgue. Any chance that VNAF had H-34's around this timeframe?
Bruce Swander
USMC/66-70
Posted : 2003-10-19 02:27
Midair Collision
I believe this was the mid-air between two HMM-263 H-34s that resulted in the deaths of Capt. Jeff Chesnutt, 1st Lt. John Baker, Cpl Phil Vanasse and 2 other crewmen. Others from HMM-263 will probably have more info for you. One '34 was descending into an LZ while the other was coming out, Capt Chesnutt's '34 rotors impacted the other's tail section. The pilots and one crew member from the other chopper survived, but with serious injuries.
Posted : 2003-10-19 11:04
Topic starter
Chestnutt/Baker, et al were KIA on670508. The documents I found show 2 Army SF men KIA on 670704, with remains located on 670706. (SFC Terry/Goodhue). States cause of death was from tow CH-34's colliding in mid-air. I can't find any US pilot deaths that day, and VHPA only shows 1 CH-34 taking fire. Did the VNAF have 34's?
Posted : 2003-10-20 03:41
Posted : 2003-10-20 13:27
The VNAF flew H-34's during this time frame. There are no SOG casualties listed on this date but it could have SF at one of the border camps.
Posted : 2003-10-20 21:23
Did VNAF have H-34's?
18 Oct '65 I flew Huey gun escort for VNAF H-34's on the first American led recon team insert into Laos. According to "Marines and Helicopters 1962-1973", by LtCol. Wm. R. Fails, 24 USMC H-34's were given to the VNAF June 1964.
Lanny
Posted : 2003-10-21 02:54
The VNAF had H-34's in 1962 in the Soc Trang area. We had many operations with them and I had them in several stand-by flights that I led. They went wherever we went and stayed with us all the way.
Posted : 2003-10-21 22:07
The VNAF did lose one UH-34 on the 4th of July 1967, from 219 Squadron, time of crash given as 10.30 hours at grid ZA183947.
According to my information, there were only three VNAF crew on board.
The VNAF first recieved 4 ex US Army H-34C's in December 1960.
Posted : 2003-10-30 16:15
Topic starter
UH-34 Crash
Sorry for the confusion on this. Have located the Prairie Fire documents showing that 2 VNAF Kingbee's collided mid-air. Two SF men had just crossed back from Laos to Dak To, and were being lifted back to Pleiku. Because they were back in SVN, it was believed that it was a USMC H-34 that crashed.
Thanks for all the responses.
Posted : 2003-10-30 16:34
