Aircraft crash 27 May 1971

Taylor, Philip Charles
Army Sergeant

Philip Charles Taylor, age 22, from Grand Island, New York, Erie county.

Service era: Vietnam

Date of death: Thursday, May 27, 1971
Death details: On August 2, 1993, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of Sergeant Phillip Charles Taylor, missing from the Vietnam War.

Sergeant Taylor joined the U.S. Army from New York and was a member of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 12th Aviation Group. On May 27, 1971, he was the observer aboard an OH-58A Kiowa (serial number 16888) on a bomb damage assessment mission over an enemy position in Cambodia. During the mission, the Kiowa was downed by ground fire, and SGT Taylor was killed in the crash. Search and rescue teams were unable to investigate the Kiowa’s crash site due to enemy presence in the area. In 1993, a joint investigative team recovered remains from the Kiowa’s crash site that were later identified as those of SGT Taylor.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Knuckey, Thomas William
Army 1st lieutenant

Thomas William Knuckey, age 25, from Wharton, New Jersey, Morris County.

Date of death: Thursday, May 27, 1971

Parents: William A. Knuckey (1915-2010) and Mary E. Kilfoil Knuckey (1917-2009)

Death details: On August 2, 1993, Joint Task Force-Full Accounting (JTF-FA, now DPAA) identified the remains of First Lieutenant Thomas William Knuckey, missing from the Vietnam War.

First Lieutenant Knuckey joined the U.S. Army from New Jersey and was a member of the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 12th Aviation Group. On May 27, 1971, he piloted an OH-58A Kiowa (serial number 68-16888) on a bomb damage assesment mission over an enemy position in Cambodia. During the mission, the Kiowa was downed by ground fire, and 1LT Knuckey was killed in the crash. Search and rescue teams were unable to investigate the Kiowa’s crash site due to enemy presence in the area. In 1993, a joint investigative team recovered remains from the Kiowa’s crash site that were later identified as those of 1LT Knuckey.

Cemetery: Arlington National

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, findgrave.com

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