The following article was published in the San Diego Union Tribune by John Wilkens on January 8, 2017 about the last pilots to die in Vietnam:. History remembers them as the last two American pilots to die in Vietnam, killed when their Marine Corps helicopter went into the South China Sea during the frantic evacuation of Saigon on April 29, 1975. The original records are held by the Marine Corps History Division. Joseph Grainger: USAID civilian captured 8 Aug 64. John Graf: USN Lt Cmdr, shot down 15 Nov 69 over South Vietnam. Mr. Crecca was a POW for the next six years and three months until his repatriation on February 18, 1973. Prior to 1957, there were three XH-40 prototypes and six YH-40 test helicopters manufactured. According to the North Vietnamese, 31% were shot down by S-75 missiles (1,046 aircraft, or 6 missiles per one kill); 60% were shot down by anti-aircraft guns; and 9% were shot down by MiG fighters. By Pierre Kosmidis. B/2/20 ARA #63-08597 A/C was shot down and after it hit exploded into flames. Total non-pilot crew members was 2,712. Between January and July, U.S. Air Force fighters flying air-to-air missions shot down 29 MiGs while losing just two of their own—a 14.5-1 kill ratio. In total, the U.S lost 3,374 fixed wing aircraft in combat during the war; in both North and South Vietnam. Escaped 5 Jan 65, killed when being re-captured a week later. Crash Location: Near an island in the Mekong River, five miles northeast of Vinh Long. Pilot was Killed In-Action, Copilot ejected and was rescued; 155497 was shot down on 29 September 1970. Bell Helicopter built 10,005 Hueys from 1957 to 1975. Days later the main cabin section washed on the beach, a short distance south of Chu Lai. Ensch shot down two MiGs during the war and was a prisoner of war for eight months in Hanoi, North Vietnam. The listings are arranged using different subject matter as the primary source for sorting. Both Aircrew members ejected and were rescued; 155394 was shot down on 29 October 1971. Listed as MIA. SP4 John C. Hughes [G] 1 injured. Believed to have been killed in that attempt. Based on a database received from the Pentagon, we estimate that over 40,000 helicopter pilots served in the Vietnam War. According to research by The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association there were about 12,000 helicopters that served in the Vietnam War (specific tail numbers for 11,827 from all services), out of which 5,086 were destroyed. Pilot: Capt. 155495 was shot down on 7 June 1970. He barely survived a forced march along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, only to become a prisoner in Hanoi. Binh Duong Province. SGT Sam Tenorio [G] 2 injured. Gary D Barnhill Pilot Status: Rescued EWO: EWO Status: Tail Number: 610189 Date Lost: 9/16/1965 Country: N Viet Model: F105D Base/Squadron: Korat 67 Mission: Strike Target: SAM Site 5 N Thanh Hoa Cause: Guns Where Lost: 14 NE Thanh Hoa Bridge Pilot: Maj. Raymond James Merritt Pilot … Crash Location: Xom Thong Xoai. Killed in Hueys - 1,151 pilots and 1,231 non-pilot crew members (we do not have a good count on Vietnamese). Wise and Ensch, good friends from the war, took a tour of the ready room, where they spent much of their time on the Midway , and visited with other friends they had made during the war. Pilot captured with Graf reported Graf attempted escaped in late Jan 1970. William Reeder Jr., who served two tours in Vietnam as a U.S. Army pilot, was shot down on May 9, 1972, while flying a mission in a Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter. The documents below are PDF's of computer print-outs of Navy and Marine Corps Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia. 28 NOV 67. 23 NOV 67. After licking their wounds, North Vietnamese pilots again began challenging American aviators in late April, but as the fighting intensified in May, it became apparent that they would not succeed. Total helicopter pilots killed in the Vietnam War was 2,165. 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