On January 17, 1969, a U.S. Air Force helicopter CH-3C (tail number 62-12582) was lost while supporting a TACAN site (tactical air navigation system for military aircraft navigation and guidance) in northern Laos. Three crew members and three passengers died in the crash. Two crew chiefs and one passenger survived and were transferred to Clark Air Base in the Philippines for hospitalization. The three lost crewmen included pilots MAJ Walter W. Martin and CAPT Richard A. Fleming, and crewman SSGT Albert J. Davis. The passengers were LTC Wayne F. Bolton, TSGT George A. Kurtyka, and TSGT Juan A. Maldonado.