Joseph Cruz was born on February 2, 1957, served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army and was the Crew Chief of CH-47C Chinook helicopter (serial 74-22292).

On September 11, 1982, he was among the 46 victims who lost their lives when the helicopter, assigned to the 295th Assault Support Helicopter Company, crashed near Mannheim, West Germany, during the city’s 375th anniversary air show. The aircraft, overloaded with passengers, began descending after mechanical problems were reported. Investigations revealed that clogged oil passages, caused by walnut grit residue left from maintenance, led to transmission failure and loss of rotor synchronization. The resulting collision of the blades caused the helicopter to break apart and crash in flames onto the Autobahn A 656. This tragedy led to a fleet-wide grounding of Chinooks and is regarded as the deadliest helicopter accident in history.

Sgt Cruz is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.findagrave.com