This Military Service Page was created/owned by
CW2 Phillip M. Kemp (Mike)
to remember
Starr, Allen Eugene. (a.k.a. Eugene Freeman), WO1.
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Status: Killed In Action while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 25.0
Date of Birth: 07/09/1944
Unit: 135 AHC, EMU
Flight class: 69-5 Short Summary: Tail rotor failure near Vinh Long. Co-pilot Bernardino Genchi.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 67-17375
Service number: W3164331
Compliment cause: fire or burns Started Tour: 05/10/1969
Length of service: 04
single male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Baptist - other groups
This record was last updated on 07/29/1994
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Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17375
Incident number: 690722221ACD Accident case number: 690722221 Total loss or fatality The station for this helicopter was Bear Cat in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 4 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 1
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Passengers and/or other participants:
UNK UNK, GM, G
Accident Summary:
AIRCRAFT 67-17375 DEPARTED VINH LONG AS CHALK NO. 8 OF A FLIGHT OF 9 TO FIRE SUPPORT BASE DANGER, THE UNIT WAS SUPPORTING THE 7TH ARVN DIVISION AND WAS ENROUTE TO THE PZ. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED RUNWAY 26 AND WAS TURNING TO THE NORTH TO FORM UP. APPROXIMATELY 2 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF, CHALK 8 WAS HEARD REPORTING THAT HE WAS GOING DOWN WITH SEVERE VIBRATIONS. THE AIRCRAFT MADE A DESCENDING TURN GENERALLY NORTHWARD. ALTITUDE AT THE TIME OF EMERGENCY WAS APPROXIMATELY 800 FEET WITH AIRSPEED ABOUT 80 KNOTS. THE CREW MADE A POWER APPLICATION AT ABOUT 200 FEET ALTITUDE TO AID IN CLEARING SOME TREES. AT THIS TIME, THE TAIL ROTOR CEASED TO FUNCTION. THE AIRCRAFT LOWERED IT'S NOSE AS IF TO ATTEMPT TO STREAMLINE AND GAIN AIRSPEED. POWER WAS APPLIED THE AIRCRAFT CLIMBED VERTICALLY WHILE SPINNING RIGHT. A LEFT ROLL ENSUED, AND THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK THE GROUND NEARLY INVERTED. FLAMES ERUPTED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH GROUND IMPACT AND IT IS FELT THAT THE IMPACT CAUSED INSTANT CREW FATALITIES. UPON COMPLETE EXTINGUISHING OF THE FLAMES, CREW BODIES WERE EVACUATED TO THE MORGUE AT CAN THO.\\
W/O Starr: some of your Seminole High School (Sanford, Florida) chums have told me you went to school in my hometown of Sanford. I am a Combat Correspondent USMC Sergeant of Marines who was wounded in Quang Tri Province in 1970 who some years ago posted the listing of all Sanford and Seminole County veterans KIA in Vietnam in our local paper The Sanford Herald. Since then the list has grown a bit and now appears on Facebook under two I Grew Up... and We Grew Up In Sanford FB group pages as well as my own page and I have been encouraged to add your name to the list. Welcome Home, brother! J Kirk Richards
