James Wilburn Hensley was born on August 7, 1941, in Ellijay, Georgia. He served in the Vietnam War and was first stationed in Hawaii before being assigned to Germany. As a Captain and Pilot with the 4th Aviation Company, 15th Aviation Group, he flew the CH-47A Chinook (#66-19023) during the Vietnam War era.

On August 18, 1971, a U.S. Army CH-47A Chinook (tail number 66-19023) transporting troops from Ludwigsburg to the Grafenwöhr training area crashed near Pegnitz, Germany, when a decommissioned rotor blade was mistakenly reinstalled and failed mid-flight. The aircraft broke apart in the air, killing all 37 aboard, including 33 soldiers and 4 crew members, marking the deadliest peacetime U.S. military accident in
West Germany since World War II.

Cpt Hensley is now buried in the Cartecay United Methodist Church Cemetery, Cartecay, Gilmer County, Georgia, USA.

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