Last Known Activity:
Rank CWO Chief Warrant Officer
Grade and posthumous promotion W2
Tour Date: 03/15/1969
Posthumous decoration
Body Recovered
Home of Record: Port Robinson, ON
| Religion: |
BAPTIST |
| Marital Status: |
Married |
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Status: Killed In Action from an incident while performing the duty of Pilot.
Age at death: 36.4
Flight class: 67-503/67-25
Short Summary: Night maintenance test flight 1/2 mile off coast.
Aircraft: UH-1H tail number 67-17694
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Compliment cause: drowning
Length of service: 14
This record was last updated on 07/29/1995
Date posted on this site: 01/22/2013
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Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1H tail number 67-17694
Incident number: 690702011ACD Accident case number: 690702011
Total loss or fatality Accident
The station for this helicopter was Chu Lai in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 3 . . Injured = 0 . . Passengers = 2
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. )
Crew Members:
P CW2 HOLDITCH ROBERT WILSON KIA
ME SP4 SCHNEIDER THOMAS JAMES KIA
GM SFC TOVEY DONALD LEE KIA
Accident Summary:
THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN FLOWN A TOTAL OF 387 HOURS. THE FIFTH PERIODIC INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED ON 2 JULY, AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A TEST FLIGHT WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED. THE PILOT WAS CW2 HOLDITCH. ASSISTING ON THE TEST FLIGHT WAS THE SENIOR MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR, SFC TOVEY, AND A UH-1 HELICOPTER MECHANIC, SP4 SCHNEIDER. AIRCRAFT DEPARTED FROM CHU LAI TO THE SOUTH ON THE TEST FLIGHT. ABOUT 2015 HOURS CW4 THOMPSON, THE 333D TC DET MAINTENANCE OFFICER DISCOVERED THE AIRCRAFT WAS MISSING. A SEARCH WAS INTIATED. THE WRECKAGE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND AT 0610 HOURS, 3 JULY, AT COORDINATES, BT 460166, ABOUT 6 NAUTICAL MILES NORTH NORTH-WEST OF CHU LAI, RVN. THE WRECKAGE WAS 200 FEET OFF SHORE IN 15-20 FEET OF WATER. ALL THREE CREWMEMBERS WERE KILLED. THE BODIES WERE RECOVERED ABOUT 1830 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RECOVERED BY A NAVY LCT ABOUT 1500 HOURS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNLOADED FROM THE LCT ONTO THE DOCK AT 1630 HOURS. THE ACCIDENT IVESTIGATION BOARD EXAMINED THE AIRCRAFT AT DOCKSIDE.\\
This record was last updated on 05/25/1998
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Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: The VHPA Webmaster Gary Roush.
Date posted on this site: 01/22/2013
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