Boeing CH-47D Chinook 91-00267.

91-00267

Company G, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation unit patch.

Property of

Company G, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation

"Hookmasters"

Grand Prairie, Texas

91-00267 while on a flight over the Grand Canyon, October 2007. Click-N-Go Here to view a larger version of this image.

91-00267, Boeing D model kit number M3416, was a CH-47D helicopter. The U.S. Army acceptance date was 7 October 1992. As of 22 June 1998, 91-0026 had accumulated 776.0 D model hours and 4,674.0 total aircraft hours. 91-00267 was a conversion from the original A model Chinook 61-02417. On 11 October 1991, 91-00267 was inducted into the D model program, converted, and scheduled for assignment to the Army National Guard, located in the State of Mississippi. At some point, 91-00267 was assigned to the United States Army Reserve (USAR), 2nd Army, located at Hunter Army Airfield, Fort Stewart, Georgia. At some point, 91-00267 was assigned to Company B - "Hookmasters", 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Infantry Division, Army National Guard, located at Grand Prairie, Texas. At some point, 91-00267 was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). On 18 September 2008, 91-00267 was lost due to an accident, root cause details unknown. 91-00267 was chalk three in a flight of four aircraft moving from Kuwait to Balad Air Base north of Baghdad when it struck the ground approximately 60 miles west of Basra. A post crash fire consumed the aircraft. All seven personnel on board were fatalities: CWO Brady Rudolf, CPT Robert Vallejo, CWO Corry Edwards, SGT Dan Eshbaugh, CPL Michael Thompson, Anthony L. Mason, 1SG Julio Ordonez. As of 18 September 2008, this aircraft was 45.3 years old. As of 18 September 2008, the last known location of 91-00267 was in Iraq, assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation. Aircraft Status: Crashed.

Detachement 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation unit patch.

Of the seven fatalities, three were Lexington-based Oklahoma Army National Guard soldiers, officials said. They were identified as Chief Warrant Officer Brady J. Rudolf, 37, of Oklahoma City; Sgt. Daniel Eshbaugh, 43, of Norman; and Cpl. Michael E. Thompson, 23, of Harrah. They were assigned to Detachment 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, out of Lexington.