Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-23G tail number 64-15293
The Army purchased this helicopter 0965
Total flight hours at this point: 00000307
Date: 02/17/1967 MIA-POW file reference number: 0595
Incident number: 67021711.TXT
Unit: D/1/10 CAV 4 INF
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was LOSS TO INVENTORY
This was a Recon mission for Unarmed Recon
While in Operations Area this helicopter was at Hover at 0050 feet and 000 knots.
South Vietnam
UTM grid coordinates: YA568588
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. (7.62MM)
causing a Fire.
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 DOI, 01 INJ . .
The helicopter Crashed. Aircraft Destroyed.
Both mission and flight capability were terminated.
Burned
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense
Intelligence Agency Reference Notes. Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database.
Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: 0595, LNNF,
FM232, CRAFX, CASRP (Lindenmuth New Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Loss to Inventory
Crew Members:
P WO1 SOOTER DAVID WILLIAM REL
P WO1 HENSEL ERNEST VICTOR JR KIA
REFNO Synopsis:
On February 17, 1967, W1 David W. Sooter was the only man captured from a OH23 helicopter downed at the southeastern edge of Kontum Province near the edge of Pleiku Province, and near the Cambodian border
War Story:
Ernie and Dave Sooter were transitioning from altitude to the deck when they dropped like a rock from about 100 feet due to intense anti aircraft fire. I was covering them and we expended all our ammunition and tried to get help but the NVA got there first. It was west of Plieku. We were doing a visual recon of the border. from 1997 VHPA reunion
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
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Date posted on this site: 09/07/2007
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