Michael William McAndrews, age 22, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Broward county.
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Wednesday, December 23, 1970
Death details: On December 23, 1970, a U-1A Otter (tail number: 55-3298; call sign: Reliable 298) with a crew of three embarked on a courier mission over the Republic of (South) Vietnam. Witnesses on the ground saw the aircraft break into two pieces in mid-air approximately ten miles south of Tuy Hoa Air Base. The aircraft was said to be on fire when it split apart (vicinity of 49P CQ 285 350). Two rescue helicopters arrived on the scene within minutes and conducted an extensive aerial search for survivors along the coastline. Ground searches were also conducted, but were unsuccessful in finding any remains. The three men aboard the Otter are still unaccounted for.
Warrant Officer One (WO1) Michael William McAndrews, who joined the U.S. Army from Florida, served with the 18th Aviation Company, 223rd Aviation Battalion, 17th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. He was the aircraft commander aboard the Otter when it went down, and his remains were not recovered. Today, WO McAndrews is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Cemetery: Memorialized at Arlington National
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findagrave.com