Mike Justus:

Bob McKiernan (standing) and Mike Justus (sitting) filing sand bags. This was taken a few days before Mike was killed.
Submitted by webmaster@popasmoke.com, POPASMOKE webmaster

Personal Narrative:
In the interest of accuracy I would like to correct the details of this accident. The birds were not leaving the airstrip fully loaded. They were returning from a successful mission and were doing a victory break over the field when they collided. Lt. Deane Swickard and I were watching them come in and witnessed the collision.
Submitted by Jim Wilkening, Sgt, HML-367, Eyewitness

Personal Narrative:
I was in the HML-167 hangar when I heard the crash. By the time I got outside all I saw was the burning wreckage near the tower, and very close to the hot re-fuel pits. It was later that day that I found out that Mike Justus was one of the pilots. I was in the same platoon with Mike in Basic School, and we became even closer in flight school. We were in the same flight, and were stick mates at Hunter AAF, GA.

Mike was a single, fun loving guy, always ready to help out anytime. When we flew together in flight school he was a much better pilot than me, and really helped me a lot in getting through instrument stage. We both went to HML-267 at Camp Pendleton after flight school. He left for Vietnam a few weeks before me, and when I got there he had been assigned to HML-367, the Cobra squadron, and I was assigned to HML-167 the UH-1E squadron. I miss him very much. Semper Fi!
Submitted by Allyn Hinton, there at the time.

Personal Narrative:
I was on the beach just south of the Officer's Club and saw the crash. A flight of two cobras was inbound from the south. Just before the downwind numbers, the main rotor of the wingman hit the lead bird and the main rotor separated from the wingman’s bird in what look like one piece and dropped to the ground. Both started down nose first in a very smooth straight decent into or near the runway. Fireballs were immediate. Submitted by Frank Adams, friend and pilot

Comment on Incident:
I have though about this crash a lot over the years. I was surprised to find this site. I was a Marine corporal coming in from a CAP unit in the Hoi An area. I was traveling in a jeep and watched two cobras flying in formation maybe 700-800 feet up.

They were slightly staggered and the lead chopper banked to the left and the rear chopper flew straight into it. Both main rotors flew off and they immediately dropped nose first, side by side to the ground.
Submitted by Phil Snyder, eyewitness

Personal Narrative:
I arrived at Marble Mountain, HMM-364 in early 1970 and while on the flight line I watched two Huey Cobras leaving on a mission (loaded). A mishap resulted in the rotor blades of these two aircraft coming in contact with each other while still over the runway. Both aircraft crashed and rockets immediately exploded erasing any hope of survival for the 4 men. New at the time I didn't know what squadron they were from or anything about the men except that they were fellow Marines. Submitted by John MacDougald, HMM-364(70-71), eyewitness.
Submitted by John MacDougald, HMM-364(70-71), eyewitness.

Personal Recollection:
If this is the same incident, it happened early in 1970, and the two Cobras crashed between runways at MAG-16. I was sitting in an ambulance at the NSA Hospital, reading a stars and stripes newspaper. Over top of the newspaper I saw the two Cobras going north just over the runways. and I saw a third helicopter coming towards me, just above the cobras. What it looked like to me was that the rear Cobra pilot was trying to dive away from the helicopter above them. The rear Cobras nose went down, and when it did, it lurhed forward and the large blades of the Cobras struck each other and knocked both props off of both Cobras. They spiraled into the ground from about 700-800 feet altitude. I called for the keys and drove the ambulance over to crash site to see if anyone survived, but none did, so I helped exhume the bodies from the wreckage and took them back to the NSA Hospital. The frames of every one of the 5 shot aluminum framed Smith & Wesson snub nosed pistols that the crew members carried in a leg pocket was bent. They hit really hard!
Submitted by Steve Thoele, Navy Hospital Corpsman, observed the incident

1stLt Toby Richard Gritz, HML-367:


Submitted by MGySgt George Curtis, Popasmoke Admin

1stLt Michael Eugene Justus, HML-367:


Submitted by MGySgt George Curtis, Popasmoke Admin

1stLt Frank Eric Sacharanski, HML-367:


Submitted by MGySgt George Curtis, Popasmoke Admin

1stLt Roger Alan Lakin, HML-367:


Submitted by Alan H Barbour, Historian, USMC Combat Helicopter Assoc