325

c/n 325

58-1709

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c/n 325

58-1709

0-81709 (Unconfirmed)

• 58-1709 United States Army. Delivered 23-Apr-1959.

Assigned initially to 18^th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, KS.

By Jan-1962. Serving with 57^th Aviation Company, Fort Sill, OK.

Mar 1963. Panama Canal Zone, unit unknown.

Feb-1966. 352nd Aviation Company, Albrook AFB, Panama Canal Zone.

Jan-1968. Inter American Geodetic Survey (IAGS), Based Albrook AFB, Panama Canal Zone

Apr-1968. Returned to mainland United States to Sharpe Army Depot, CA.

Oct-1968. Shipped to Vietnam., joining 388^th Transportation Company, Vung Tau.

Nov-1968 2^nd Signal Group.

Feb-1970. 56^th Transportation Group.

Mar-1970. Returned to 388^th Transportation Company, Vung Tau.

Mar-1971. Withdrawn from use and stored at Vung Tau,

• 0-81709 (Unconfirmed) Government of Cambodia. From Sep-1971.

Incident: Pochentang. 21 March 1972. Possibly suffered damage in a rocket attack by the Khmer Rouge on the airfield..

Accident: Location unknown. Jun-1973. Reportedly suffered a hard landing, causing minor damage to the main landing gear and tail gear attachment area.

Accident: Location unknown. 05-Jul-1973. Reportedly damaged during a landing while operating outstation.

Understood to have been removed from service by end of 1973.

• Scrapped •

Otter 325 was delivered to the United States Army on 23rd April 1959 with serial 58-1709 (tail number 81709). It was assigned to the 18th Aviation Company, Fort Riley, Kansas but by January 1962 was serving with the 57th Aviation Company, Fort Sill, Oklahoma where it continued to serve until March 1963. It was then assigned to the Panama Canal Zone, its operating unit not identified, until February 1966 when it joined the 352nd Aviation Company, Albrook AFB., also in the Canal Zone. In January 1968 it joined the Inter American Geodetic Survey (IAGS), which was also located in the Canal Zone, until April 1968 when it went to the Sharpe Army Depot, Stockton, California for overhaul.

On completion of this work in October 1968, the Otter went to Vietnam, being received by the 388th Transportation Company, Vung Tau that month, who prepared it for use by the 2nd Signal Group, which it joined in November 1968. It continued to fly for the 2nd Signal Group until February 1970, going that month to the 56th Transportation Company as a maintenance float and continuing on the following month to the 388th Transportation Company, Vung Tau. It was used by the 388th TC from March 1970 until March 1971 as a combat support aircraft and was then withdrawn from use and stored at Vung Tau in April 1971. In September 1971 it was handed over to the Government of Cambodia, one of eighteen Otters transferred to that country. Their operation was short lived, and the fate of this Otter can only be described as “withdrawn from use and scrapped”.