The Oregon Statesman (Salem, OR)
Sat, Dec 28, 1963 page 2

Copter Crashes near Ephrata: Airman Dies

EPHRATA, Wash., (AP) — An Air Force helicopter crashed and burned six miles south of here Friday killing the one man aboard, a Larson Air Force Base spokesman said.

The pilot was identified as Capt. Robert Gorter, 34.

The Air Force spokesman at nearby Moses Lake siad the H-19 helicopter which usually carries a crew of two, was on a local flight when it crashed.

Cause of the crash was not known. A board of inquiry was appointed to investigate the accident, the spokesman said.

The craft, used in missle supply work, was attached to the 462nd Stratagic Aerospace Wing at Larson AFB.

Capt. Gorter, a native of Springfield, Mass., is survived by his widow, Margaret Mary, and two children, Catherine, 2 1/2, and Robert 1 1/2.