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Casualty Info
Home Town Grayling, MI
Last Address Grayling, MI
Casualty Date Jun 06, 1971
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Bien Hoa (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Tail: #69-18004 CW2 Carl W. Borchers [Pilot]
CW2 Martin E. Loving [Crew/Observer]
Callsign: NIGHTRIDER II
Pilot advised that he was low on fuel and was breaking station to RTB. Also advised he was heading SW through their field of fire at nominally 1500 AGL. Arty advised they would check fire during acft transit through their area and requested notification when clear. NIGHTRIDER II Rogered request, but no further communication could be established. A/C was later found at at YT 1612 on 071 Degrees Magnetic heading. Impact estimated at 65-75 Knots at 039 degrees angle from horizontal. This flight was going to be Lovings last recon flight before he was due to leave Vietnam.
Only nine production YO-3As were sent to Vietnam. The aircraft were used at night, at low altitudes. Observations were made visually (80%) and with followed on with a Night Vision Aerial Periscope developed by Xerox Electro-Optical, Pasadena California night vision devices. The YO-3A had a specially designed propeller operated by 12 belts, an exhaust system that ran the length of the aircraft and other sound quieting technologies. The mission equipment on the YO-3A was a Night Vision Aerial Periscope with infrared illuminator. One YO-3A was equipped with a laser target designator. The laser system was never used. The YO-3A operated silently at 1,000 feet, or lower, depending on terrestrial background noise. Some pilots were known to have gone unobserved over the enemy at 200 feet. Occasionally daylight flights were made over the rivers. Crew chiefs would listen to the YO-3A flying over the maintenance section prior to deployment listening for rattles, whistles or other noises. The propeller, even at 500 feet over the maintenance area made only a light flutter heard just as it approached the maintenance area. This was followed by a light rushing of wind over the wings. Once the plane had passed over, there was no audible sound.
Stephen Alexander, Friend & classmate, in flight school. 9420, Sugar Babe Drive, Gilroy, ca., 95020. 36, years later, still a friend and warm memories. We were Red Hats, in flight school. What a wonderful, friend and pilot. Lots of "first," we shared, in those, early days, of life.
Comments/Citation:
The Army-Lockheed YO-3A group has posted a memorial to Carl on its website www.yo-3a.com. Those who knew Carl remember him as a good man, a good friend and a good officer.
Posted by: Kurt Olney, Relationship: www.yo-3a.com, Sunday, September 12, 2004.
I remember Carl Wilhelm Borchers as a young go-get'em pilot, married only a few days before going to Viet Nam, a patriot, super trooper, and friend. We carved the "Tiki" for our Long Thanh O-Club out of a 10"x12' timber with his "Bowie" Knife. We had some good times, but too few. Posted by: Dale Ross Stith Tuesday, August 26, 2003.
POSTED BY: CWO RUSSELL FIELDS. BEST OF FRIENDS: Carl and I were both prior service and went thru basic training together. Then flight school and on to Long Than North RVN.He flew the YO-3A and I the OV-1 Mohawk. I flew one mission with him and after that we coordinated our missions when we were in the same area. We worked together to get my Mohawk to be quiet like his YO-3A. I used infra red to help look for him on that his last mission. God Bless Your Soul Rest in Peace.
POSTED BY: JIM KNIBBS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE: Bill Borchers or Billy as we knew him then was my childhood idol. His parents and mine were close friends. Even though he was 10 years older than me he was always kind and generous of his time. He built a Fiber Fab avenger kit car on a Volkswagen chassis with a Corvair 6 cylinder engine. I would ride my bike to his house and hand him wrenches and clean things just to go for a ride. One time at the only stop light in Grayling a nice looking GTO pulled up next to us and the guy yelled over whats that and Billy told him and he said whats it got in it and he told him, and his response was to rev his engine and say you should have put in an engine like this. As you can guess when the light turned green we immediately left the. GTO in the dust. I have many fond memories of Billy and continue to look up to him.
POSTED BY: JERRY JEROME: I MISS YOU OLD FRIEND. So much fun in Grayling. The water, the friends, the girls. Oh to do it all again. That was a long time ago Bill. Maybe we can do it again?? I think you for your service. And I know you had some fun over there - But what a waste of human lives. The politicians here are still messed up.
POSTED BY: JAMES MCCAFFERY: I STILL MISS YOU: BILL, WE WENT THROUGH THE COAST GUARD TOGETHER AND ALMOST MADE IT THROUGH THE ARMY TOGETHER...I MISS YOU AFTER 42 YEARS.
