Seeking Information on Death from Helicopter

[terryutapao7374]

I was in the Air Force, stationed at Utapao, Thailand, from October 26, 1973 to October 26, 1974. I had a friend at Udorn RTAFB who arranged for me to hop a ride on a Huey helicopter, with an Army crew, that was going on patrol near Binh Dinh, RVN. This probably occurred around the end of spring or early summer of 1974. I do not know the exact date. My uncle had been killed in Binh Dinh RVN, and the pilot had agreed to show me where he died.

The flight to Binh Dinh was uneventful. The pilot told me when we were getting close, so I got up and hooked myself to the safety line so I could look out the side of the chopper. The pilot circled once and then I got back in my seat. The pilot turned the chopper around to head back to Udorn. Within a short amount of time we were over rice paddies, and one of the crew members said to me, "Man, that water looks cool!" The next thing I knew, he was gone. I don't know if it was a suicide, an accidental fall, or if we were under enemy fire. The helicopter circled twice a few times and tried to locate his body, but we never saw him again. I don't know how the Army reported his death, but I wondered if you might have any information on his death. Thank you for any assistance you might be able to give me. Terry

[Admin]

There's no record of an Army Crewmember deaths in 1974. Since the flight originated at Udorn it is a possibility that the flight was Air America. The only deaths of crewmembers that I can find are on 10FEB73 and 14SEP73 that were US Army.

[terryutapao7374]

Thank you so much for checking the Army records for me. Are you aware of anyone who keeps such records for Air Force fatalities in case he was Air Force instead?