Douglas Jay “Cubby” Eschler was born on November 28, 1947, in Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho. He was the son of Max John Eschler and Katherine Deana "Kay" Johnson Eschler. He joined the U.S. Army and became a decorated paratrooper and helicopter pilot, serving two tours in Vietnam. As a Chief Warrant Officer 3 stationed in Germany, he was the Co-Pilot of CH-47C Chinook helicopter (serial number 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.

CWO3 Eschler is now buried in the Montpelier City Cemetery, Montpelier, Bear Lake County, Idaho, USA.

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