342

c/n 342

59-2205

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c/n 342

59-2205

• 59-2205 United States Army. Delivered 09-October 1959. Designated U-1A.

Assigned to the 18th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, KS.

Dec-1961/Jan-1962. The aircraft travelled with the 18th Aviation Company to Vietnam, entering service in Mar-1962.

Aug-1963. With the 339^th Transportation Company for repair following an un recorded accident.

Accident. Saigon. Aug-1963. Following above repair crashed on test flight. Repaired and

Oct-1963. Returned to service with the 18^th Aviation Company.

Feb-1966. Returned to USA and to the Army Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Centre ARADMAC Depot, Corpus Christi, TX.

Apr-1966. Returned to Vietnam for the 54^th Aviation Company.

Mar-1967. Returned to the USA for overhaul at Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, CA.

Oct-1967 Returned to Vietnam for the 54^th Aviation Company.

Accident: North of Aidgon, Vietnam. Jun-1968. Power failure caused a forced landing. The aircraft landed safely but was subsequently destroyed when the Chinook sent to recover it, was forced to drop the load from height during a thunderstorm below.

• Destroyed •

Otter 342 was delivered to the United States Army on 9th October 1959 with serial 59-2205 (tail number 92205). It was assigned to the 18th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas and was the last of sixteen Otters to be assigned to the unit. It travelled with the 18th Aviation Company to Vietnam during December 1961/January 1962, and entered service with the Company in March '62 in Vietnam. It suffered damage of some sort and was taken to Saigon for repair. It was entrusted to the 339th Transportation Company for this work in August 1963, but crashed again in front of the hangars at Saigon during a test flight. It was again repaired and re-joined the 18th Aviation Company in October 1963.

In February 1966 the Otter was returned to the United States for depot level overhaul at the ARADMAC Depot, Corpus Christi, Texas, returning to Vietnam in April 1966 and joining the 54th Aviation Company. In May 1966 it moved to the 18th Aviation Company where it continued to serve until March 1967, when it again returned to the US for overhaul, this time to the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California. In October 1967 it returned once again to Vietnam and again joined the 54th Aviation Company. It continued flying for this Company until destroyed in an accident in June 1968. As the unit history records: “Big Daddy 205 had a partial power failure north of Aidgon, flown by Lt. McGuire and Lt. Reid. They made a safe landing at Chon Than. The Otter was airlifted towards Vung Tau for repair, but the Chinook ran into a thunderstorm and had to drop its load. Almost a week later, the Otter was found only four miles from the airfield at Vung Tau, broken into a thousand pieces”.