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A1C Michelle Upton
to remember
Beach, Dean Louis, Maj.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Vestaburg
Last Address Mather AFB, CA; TDY to U-Tapao RTAFB, Thailand
Casualty Date Oct 01, 1968
Cause Non Hostile- Died Other Causes
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Thailand
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Ferris Center Cemetery - Vestaburg, Michigan
Major Beach graduated from Central Michigan State College with a B.S. in Biology.
Major Beach served with SAC, at Utapao RTAFB, Thailand during Arc Light, flying a KC-135A-BN Stratotanker (# 55-3138). The 904th ARF Squadron was TDY from Mather AFB, California. This was his second tour in SEA.
He was killed along with his crew on take off from Utapao RTAFB with a full load of fuel. No. 4 engine power was lost on take-off from U-Tapao, causing an asymmetric thrust condition. The Stratotanker then hit concrete and steel light stanchions beyond the end of the runway and crashed.
"KC-135, 55-3138. Prior to this accident the water injection system was linked to the left wing (eng. 1 and 2) and right wing (3 and 4). According to Flight Safety Foundation: No. 4 engine power was lost on take-off from U-Tapao, causing an asymmetric thrust condition. The Stratotanker then hit concrete and steel light stanchions beyond the end of the runway and crashed. All 4 on board were killed. Witnesses report that 3 and 4 lost water simultaneously, and that the water injection system fleet wide was modified to pump the inboards, and the outboards."
http://www.tlc-brotherhood.org/MEM/81%20MEM%20Mar%2007.pdf This is an eye witness account of this loss. See: William D. Bever, "Final Salute to 1st Lt. Richard M. Welch, " Mekong Express Mail, Volume 8, Issue 1, published by The Thailand Laos Cambodia Brotherhood, Inc. at
http://hoctor.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/tanker_losses.pdf (details of the loss) Info