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From: Rich Wooters, 345ADD June 70-Jan 71
Date: 18 May 2000
Time: 04:39:55
Remote Name: 207.174.81.14
I wasn't there when this happened having been one of many controllers from all over rvn to be reassigned to Lam Son 719. However I came back on a mail run from Dong Ha a couple of days after it happened. I heard Lloyd took it real hard but also was told by several other controllers that there was nothing anyone could have done. All of the Army Aviation carried not only UHF but VHF and FM radios. Air America MAY have only had VHF but every time we keyed the mike in the tower the transmission went out on all of our frequencies. Also, I was told that a call went out on both VHF and UHF guard Freqs. but by that time it was to late as the Porter had settled on top of the Cobra. I flew with the Air America guys a few times and for the most part they were good pilots, but the Porter had lousy downward visibility and by all indications, it appeared that Air America just wasn't listening or maybe had no radios. Anyway enough rambling from me just remember Lloyd that we all go through shoulda, coulda or woulda and have 20/20 hindsight. Welcome home bud and turn to a different page. Like the night the mascot monkey from the 125th jumped out of the rafters at our hooch bar and tried to screw me in the back of the head.