192

c/n 192

55-3323 when serving in Europe.

Photo: Unknown photographer © Date unknown - Michael J. Ody Collection

c/n 192

55-3323

53323 (Assumed tail no.)

• 55-3323 United States Army. Delivered 04-Jan-1957. Designated as U-1A.

After being fitted with suitable radio pack for Europe at Red Bird Field, Dallas, TX., the aircraft was flown to Mobile, AL., from where it was delivered by ship to Bremerhaven, Germany where they were re assembled and flown to Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany.

May-1957. Collected by crew and flown to 202nd Aviation Company, Boscomantico AAF., Verona, Italy, part of Southern European Task Force, SETAF.

Mar-1962. Assigned to 2nd Aviation Company in France where it served until Feb-1966.

Noted by Neil Aird at Prestwick – EGPK 24-Aug-1962.

Feb-1966. Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany

Jul-1966. Assigned to the Headquarters Company, 8th Infantry Division, Germany.

Oct-1967. Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, German and returned to USA and then to Vietnam.

Mar-1968. 144th Aviation Company (Radio Research), Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Jun-1968. Attached to the 138th Aviation Company (Army Security Agency) Da Nang, Vietnam

Oct-1968. Assigned to the 146th Aviation Company (part of the 509th Radio Research Group) based at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon.

Note. Although attached to Radio Research Units the aircraft was not converted to RU-1A configuration.

Mar-1971, when it was withdrawn from use and put into storage with the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, the unit responsible for the disposal of all US Army Otters in Vietnam.

• 53323 (Assumed tail no). Sep-1971 handed over to the Government of Cambodia for the Khmer Air Force.

Accident Pochentong Air Base, Cambodia. 10-Mar-1973. The aircraft sustained substantial damage when the plot lost control taking off from the Air Base subsequently languished at the Air Base for several months until eventually scrapped.

• Scrapped •

Otter 192 was delivered to the United States Army on 4th January 1957 with serial 55-3323 (tail number 53323) and first served with the 202nd Aviation Company, Boscomantico AAF., Italy, part of SETAF. It was one of five Otters (the others were 53324, 53325, 53326 and 53327) delivered from Downsview to Red Bird Field, Dallas, Texas where they were fitted with radios suitable for use in Europe. The five Otters were then flown to Mobile, Alabama and loaded on board ship, which sailed for Bremerhaven, Germany. Here the five Otters were re-assembled, flown to the depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany, from where they were picked up by pilots of the 202nd Aviation Company and flown to their new base in Italy in May 1957.

53323 was re-assigned to the 2nd Aviation Company in France in March 1962, and served with this unit until February 1966. After a few months in the depot at Mannheim, it was the assigned to the Headquarters Company, 8th Infantry Division, Germany in July 1966. It was noted flying Bentwaters - Birmingham - Arbroath (Scotland) on 15th July 1966. In October 1967 it returned to the depot, from where it was returned to the United States and it then continued on to Vietnam. It arrived with the 144th Aviation Company (Radio Research) in March 1968 and in June 1968 joined the 138th Aviation Company (Army Security Agency) and then in October 1968 was assigned to the 146th Aviation Company (part of the 509th Radio Research Group) based at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon. This was the unit which flew the RU-1A Otters, but 53323 was not converted to this configuration.

The Otter continued flying for the 146th Aviation Company until March 1971, when it was withdrawn from use and put into storage with the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, the unit responsible for the disposal of all US Army Otters in Vietnam. In September 1971 the Otter was handed over to the Government of Cambodia, one of 18 Otters transferred to that country. Their operation was short lived and the fate of this Otter can only be described as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.