337

c/n 337

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c/n 337

58-1718

0-81718 (Unconfirmed)

• 58-1718 US Army. Delivered 28-Jul 1959. Designated U-1A.

Delivered from Downsview to Fort Rucker, AL, to the Army Aviation Board.

Jan-1962. Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Centre (ARADMAC) Depot, Corpus Christi, TX., as a support aircraft.

Dec-1965 To Vietnam for the 54^th Aviation Company.

Oct-1966 Returned to Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Centre (ARADMAC) Depot, Corpus Christi, for maintenance.

Dec-1964. Returned to Vietnam joining the 18^th Aviation Company.

Incident. Ten miles west of An Khe 17-Jul-1969. Forced landing following engine shut down. No damage sustained.

Mar-1971. Following disbandment of 18th Aviation Company placed into storage with 388^th Transportation Company, Vung Tau, Vietnam.

.Sep -1971. Deleted from Army Inventory.

• 0-81718. (Unconfirmed) Passed to Cambodian Government under Military Assistance Plan for the Khmer Air Force. Circa Sep-1971.

Incident: Details unknown. Reported lost on 13 May 1972.

• Destroyed •

Otter 337 was delivered to the United States Army on 28th July 1959 with serial 58-1718 (tail number 81718). It was delivered from Downsview to Fort Rucker, Alabama, to the Army Aviation Board. Otter 81719 (338) was delivered to the Board the same day.

By January 1962 81718 was based at the ARADMAC Army Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas as a depot support aircraft. It continued to be based at that location until December 1965, when it went to Vietnam, flown there by C-124 Globemaster, and joined the 54th Aviation Company. It returned to the ARADMAC Depot, Corpus Christi in October 1966 for overhaul, and when this work was completed in December 1966 it returned to Vietnam and joined the 18th Aviation Company. One incident is recorded in the Company's history: “On the morning of 17th July 1969, Major William A. Bloemsma was flying 'Reliable 718' en route from Qui Nhon to Pleiku. In marginal weather conditions, ten miles west of An Khe, the oil pressure dropped to zero and the smell of oil was evident in the cockpit. An emergency was declared and the aircraft was diverted to An Khe Golf Course Airfield. While on short final, the engine was shut down and the aircraft was landed without damage and also without any oil remaining. The cause of the loss of oil was that the prop governor sump plug came loose”.

81718 was repaired and returned to service with the 18th Aviation Company, and continued to fly for the unit until March 1971, when the 18th Aviation Company was disbanded. It went into storage with the 388th Transportation Company, Vung Tau where it remained until deleted from the Army inventory. In September 1971 it 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”.