196

c/n 196

55-3325

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c/n 196

55-3325

• 55-3325 United States Army. Delivered 24-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.

Apr-1962. Transferred to the Army's Special Forces Detachment with the 10^th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Flint Kaserne, Bad Tolz, Germany.

Oct-1967. Coleman Barracks, Mannheim where it was prepared to be shipped back to the United States and it then continued on to Vietnam.

May-1968. 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau, Vietnam.

Aug-1968. Headquarters Company of the 164th Combat Aviation Group, Can Tho, Vietnam.

Aug-1969. Transferred to the 18th Aviation Company, Can Tho. Vietnam.

Incident: Cam Ranh Bay, 30-Dec-1970. Had landed and was attempting to turn n heavy winds when the aircraft nosed over, causing extensive damage to the propeller, sudden engine stoppage and damage to the tail cone.

Jan-1971. Passed to 79th Transportation Company at Qui Nhon to be parted out and scrapped.

• Scrapped •

Otter 196 was delivered to the United States Army on 24th January 1957 with serial 55-3325 (tail number 53325) and first served with the 202nd Aviation Company based at Boscomantico Army Airfield, Verona, Italy. It was one of five Army Otters (the others were 53323, 53324, 53326 and 53327) delivered from Downsview to Red Bird Field, Dallas, Texas where they were fitted with radios suitable for use in Europe. They were then flown to Mobile, Alabama and shipped from there to Bremerhaven, Germany, where they were re-assembled and flown to the depot at Mannheim, Germany. There they were picked up by pilots of the 202nd Aviation Company and flown to their new base at Boscomantico AAF in May 1957.

53325 flew for the 202nd Aviation Company in Italy until April 1962, when it was transferred to the Army's Special Forces Detachment at Bad Tolz, Germany, where it continued to fly until October 1967. It was noted visiting Northolt airfield, London on 18th September and again on 24th September 1967. It then went to the depot at Coleman Barracks, Mannheim where it was prepared to be shipped back to the United States and it then continued on to Vietnam where it arrived with the 388th Transportation Company at Vung Tau in May 1968.

In August 1968 it joined the Headquarters Company of the 164th Combat Aviation Group and in August 1969 it was transferred to the 18th Aviation Company, based at Can Tho. On 30th December 1970 53325 landed at Cam Ranh Bay and was attempting to turn in heavy winds when the aircraft nosed over, causing extensive damage to the propeller, sudden engine stoppage and damage to the tail cone. The damage was so severe that the Otter was considered beyond economical repair and was stricken from the inventory. The wreck was handed over to the 79th Transportation Company at Qui Nhon to be parted out and scrapped.