c/n 162

55-3304

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•  55-3304 United States Army. Delivered 06-Oct-1956.  Designated U-1A.

Assigned to the 3rd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, KS.

Jul-1957: 3rd Aviation Company deployed to Illesheim, Germany. Disbanded Nov-1959.

Before Jan-1962. 207th Aviation Company, Heidelberg, Germany.

Dec-1962 Coleman Barracks Depot, Mannheim, Germany for overhaul,

July 1963 it joined the 2nd Aviation Company in France until disbanded Mar-1967.

The Company headquarters of the 2nd Aviation Company and one platoon were based at Orléans, a second platoon at Verdun and a third platoon at Poitiers. During its time in France the aircraft was either based at or visited all three locations for different levels of maintenance.

Deployed to Prestwick, supporting Special Forces at the missile firing ranges on Benbecula on the Outer Hebrides.

• Noted at Prestwick – EGPK by Neil Aird on Friday 02-Jul-1965.

Mar-1967. 56th Aviation Detachment, Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany.

Accident: Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany, Oct-1969, Crashed on landing, fortunately without injury but the Otter was a write off.

Jan-1970. It was deleted from the Army inventory.

• Written off •

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Otter 162 was delivered to the United States Army on 6th October 1956 with serial 55-3304 (tail number 53304). It was assigned to the 3rd Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and moved with the Company when it deployed to Illesheim, Germany in July 1957. The Company disbanded in November 1959 but 53304 remained in Europe and by January 1962 was serving with the 207th Aviation Company, Heidelberg, Germany. In December '62 it went to the Depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany for overhaul, and when this was completed, in July 1963 it joined the 2nd Aviation Company in France. It was noted flying from Prestwick, Scotland to Benbecula and return on 2nd July 1965, the 2nd Aviation Company having a tasking each summer to transport Special Forces to the missile firing ranges on the Outer Hebrides.

53304 continued in service with the 2nd Aviation Company until the unit disbanded in March 1967. It then joined the 56th Aviation Detachment based at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany which took over the tasks performed by the 2nd Aviation Company. It was noted visiting Luton, England on 12th September 1967 and the airfield at Tattenhill in March 1968, transporting personnel to the nearby Fauld and Ditton Priors ammunition depots, which was one of the missions of the 56th Aviation Detachment. It visited the USAF base at Mildenhall, England on 15th August 1969.

53304 crashed on landing at Coleman Barracks in October 1969, fortunately without injury but the Otter was a write off. It was deleted from the Army inventory in January 1970.

Full history courtesy of Karl E. Hayes © from DHC-3 Otter: A History (2005).