air america: pilatus / fairchild pc-6 turbo porters - The University of ...

Nov. 65, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1); Garrett powered (Minutes ExCom-
AACL/AAM of 27 April 66, in: UTD/CIA/B8F1); the Garrett conversion was made
by Pilatus at Stans; supposed to depart Stans about 17 May 66, to be assigned as a
spare aircraft (Aircraft status as of 4 May 66, in: UTD/Hickler/B1F2); registered to
Air America on 25 June 66 (Letter by Clyde S. Carter, dated 27 January 72, in:
UTD/CIA/B15F2); officially acquired by Air America on 30 June 66 (List
“Accumulated costs as of 31 Dec. 67”, in: UTD/CIA/B40F8); assigned to contract
AID-439-713 for use out of Udorn on 16 July 66, still assigned to that contract in May
68, but at that time for use out of Vientiane, called thru 30 June 68 (Aircraft status as
of 1 May 68, in: UTD/Herd/B2); on 3 November 66, N197X crash-landed at Na
Khang (LS-36), damaging the propeller, the left wing, the right gear, and the left
fuselage; the fuselage and other components were ferried to Tainan; repaired and
returned to service on 25 December 66 (XOXO of 3 Nov. 66, in:
UTD/Hickler/B26F16; Minutes ExCom-AACL/AAM of 22 November 66, in:
UTD/CIA/B8F1; a photo is preserved in: UTD/Wharton/B1F6); on 15 March 67,
N197X undershot in a downdraft at San Tiau (LS-2), Laos, made a go-around, but
could not avoid ground contact, resulting in a broken left main landing gear and other
damage; the pilot (P285) did not land at LS-2, however, but continued to Vientiane
(L-08), where he made a successful emergency landing, damaging only the left
aileron (XOXO of 15 March 67, in: UTD/Hickler/B26F16); on 1 July 67, the tail
wheel of N197X was damaged while taxiing at Tham Sorm (LS-74), Laos; repaired
(XOXO of 1 July 67, in: UTD/Hickler/B26F16; Minutes ExCom-AACL/AAM of 11
July 67, in: UTD/CIA/B8F2); on 30 September 67, N197X, piloted by Capt. C. R.
Osborne, received small arms fire at coordinates UG 3515 in Laos; the back of the
PIC was injured, and the engine stopped immediately, when the aircraft was over the
drop zone at a height of 50-100 feet; in spite of his serious wounds, the pilot managed
to make a forced landing near the site, causing substantial damage to the aircraft;
Capt. Osborne was then flown to the US Army hospital at Korat, Thailand, and the
aircraft was later recovered and repaired at a cost of $26,000 (XOXOs of 30 Sept. to 3
Oct. 67, in: UTD/Hickler/B27F1; Accident report, in: UTD/Hickler/B24F3; Minutes
ExCom-AACL/AAM of 3 October 67 and 24 October 67, in: UTD/CIA/B8F2); one
of 7 PC-6s which were officially transferred from Udorn to Vientiane on 15
November 67 (UTD/Leary/B1 for 15 November 67); on 28 January 68, N197X was
damaged upon landing at Long Tieng (LS-20A); repaired (XOXO of 28 Jan. 68, in:
UTD/Hickler/B26F17); on 24 March 68, a fast moving thunderstorm of more than 70
knots passed thru Vientiane‟s Wattay airport, damaging the left flap and the left wing
of N197X; repaired (XOXO of 24 March 68, in: UTD/Hickler/B26F16); on 26 July
68, N197X made a forced landing at Thong Kheun (LS-191), Laos, due to engine
problems; nobody was injured; repaired (XOXO of 26 July 68, in:
UTD/Hickler/B25F14); damaged on landing at Tha Tam Bleung (LS-72) on 9 August
68; nobody was injured; the aircraft was recovered on 13 August 68 (XOXO of 9 Aug
68, in: UTD/Hickler/B25F14; F.O.C. of 15 August 68, in: UTD/LaShomb/B14);used
out of Vientiane at least between 18 November 66 and 28 October 71 (Log book of R.
L. Wofford, in: UTD/Wofford [Sm. C. 6]; Log book of L. H. Maxwell, in:
UTD/Maxwell/B1F6); crash-landed at Long Tieng (LS-98), Laos, on 28 January 68,
when it struck a pile of crushed rock; the left main gear collapsed causing subsequent
damage to the propeller, left wing and sudden engine stoppage (Accident report, in:
UTD/Hickler/B24F3); repaired at a cost of $21,740 (Minutes ExCom-AACL/AAM of
11 February 69, in: UTD/CIA/B8F3); struck a cow that was running across the strip,
upon taking off from Thong Kheun (LS-191), Laos, on 26 July 68; subsequently