Name: CW2 James Robert Meade
Status: Killed In Action from an incident on 04/02/1971 while performing the duty of Aircraft Commander.
Age at death: 29.4
Date of Birth: 10/27/1941
Home City: Topeka, KS
Service: AV branch of the reserve component of the U.S. Army.
Unit: 180 ASHC
Major organization: 1st Aviation Brigade
Flight class: 69-37
Service: AV branch of the U.S. Army.
The Wall location: 04W-101
Short Summary: Died from explosion and fire when taxing Chinook experienced a blade strike with a revetment and was totally destroyed.
Aircraft: CH-47C tail number 67-18545
Country: South Vietnam
MOS: 100C = Cargo Helicopter Pilot
Primary cause: A/C Accident
Major attributing cause: aircraft connected not at sea
Compliment cause: small arms fire
Vehicle involved: helicopter
Position in vehicle: co-pilot
Vehicle ownership: government
Started Tour: 08/14/1970
"Official" listing: helicopter air casualty - other aircrew
The initial status of this person was: no previous report
Length of service: *
Location: Phu Yen Province II Corps.
Military grid coordinates of event: CQ200428
Reason: aircraft lost or crashed
Casualty type: Non-hostile - died of other causes
married male U.S. citizen
Race: Caucasian
Religion: Baptist - other groups
The following information secondary, but may help in explaining this incident.
Category of casualty as defined by the Army: non-battle dead Category of personnel: active duty Army Military class: warrant officer
This record was last updated on 08/27/1997
Information on U.S. Army helicopter CH-47C tail number 67-18545
The Army purchased this helicopter 0768
Total flight hours at this point: 00001929
Date: 04/02/1971
Incident number: 710402041ACD Accident case number: 710402041 Total loss or fatality Accident
Unit: 180 ASHC
This was a Accident incident.
The station for this helicopter was Tuy Hoa in South Vietnam
Number killed in accident = 1 . . Injured = 4 . . Passengers = 1
costing 1735361
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Defense Intelligence Agency Helicopter Loss database. Army Aviation Safety Center database. Also: OPERA (Operations Report. )
Loss to Inventory

Crew Members:
P O1 JC ARCHER
AC CW2 MEADE JAMES ROBERT KIA
CE E5 KJ MOTT
G E4 VA LAVERGHETTA

Passengers and/or other participants:
O4 AR CYR, LCO, G

Accident Summary:

 AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 HOURS, 2 APRIL 1971, THE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIING FROM THE TUY HOA ARMY AIRFIELD POL TO IT'S REVETMENT AREA. THE AIRCRAFT WAS, BY ALL ACCOUNTS, FUNCTIONING NORMALLY AND NO DIFFICULTIES WERE REPORTED. A FULL LOAD OF FUEL WAS ON BOARD BUT NO CARGO WAS CARRIED. THE CREW WAS RETURNING TO TUY HOA FOR THE NOON MEAL.\ CONSIDERED TO BE A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THE RAMP AREA WAS DRY AND AFFORDED GOOD TRACTION AS THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED TO THE REVETMENT. THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED THE RAMP AREA VIA TAXIWAY "D" AND PROCEEDED IN A SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION UNTIL IT COME ABREAST OF THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE REVETMENT AREA. AT THAT TIME THE AIRCRAFT TURNED TO AN EASTERLY HEADING AND CONTINUED TO TAXI UNTIL IT HAD CROSSED THE TAXI LINES ON THE RAMP TO THE SOUTHEAST. IT THEN TURNED PARALLEL TO THE TAXI LINES AND PROCEEDED UNTIL IT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE TAXI LINES LEADING INTO THE REVETMENT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN TURNED STRAIGHT INTO THE REVETMENT. THEN, WHEN THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NEARING THE CONFINES OF THE REVETMENT AREA, IT TURNED LEFT (RELATIVE TO THE REVETMENT AS THE AIRCRAFT FACED IT) AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN FURTHER LEFT OUT OF THE REVETMENT IT EXPERIENCED A BLADE STRIKE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE SOUTHEAST WALL. AT THIS TIME THE AIRCRAFT ROSE INTO THE AIR, WENT OVER THE REVETMENT WALL, BURST INTO FLAMES AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY THOSE FLAMES.\

This record was last updated on 09/20/1998