Military history · Full documentary · 33:52
The Final Flight — Historical Footage Edition
The July 1966 helicopter loss, the people aboard, the search and the later recovery.
About this film
A fifteen-chapter documentary presenting the project’s research into the July 3, 1966 helicopter loss, search, and later recovery, with records and historical footage.
Other versions of this story
Start with the full documentary. Four shorter music editions follow below.
Behind the film
The history & the evidence.
On July 3, 1966, three H-34 helicopters left Kham Duc for FOB 2; one crashed with fifteen people aboard, including Edwin J. MacNamara. The films follow the flight and search through the original field report, Army correspondence and later accounts that differ on how the helicopter was lost.
- Original military reportCrash, search and passenger list — July 1966 Hamby’s July 7 field report describes the departure and ground searches. The fifteen-name passenger and crew list is on PDF page 2.
- Original Army correspondenceWhat the Army told Reno’s family The October 12, 1966 letter recounts the search and says the crash’s cause could not be immediately determined.
- Retrospective compilationThe later accounts side by side The Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association preserves several versions, including an account attributed to Billy Waugh. It is useful for comparing those versions with the 1966 records.
The soundtrack
Music credits
“Signal to Noise (No Piano Melody)” by Scott Buckley — www.scottbuckley.com.au. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Excerpts, crossfades, EQ, and level changes for the film.
“Reverie” by Scott Buckley — www.scottbuckley.com.au. Licensed under CC BY 4.0. Excerpts, crossfades, EQ, and level changes for the film.