Date: 05/31/1969

Unit: 92 AHC

Station: Dong Ba Thin

Number killed in accident = 0 .. Injured =1 .. Passengers = 0

Cost unknown

Crew Members:

AC   WO1 DYKES TR

P      WO1 MILES JD

CE

G      Lindsey G

Passengers;

ARVN - LARP TEAM

Accident Summary:

On the morning of 05/31/1969, 66-16466 along with another slick and a Sidekick light fire team where dispatched to assist

MACV in Ban Me Thuot. The flight from Dong Ba Thin to Ban Me Thuot was uneventful. Upon arrival a mission briefing with

all aircraft crews was held detailing a mission to insert an ARVN LRRP team into an L/Z northeast of Ban Me Thuot. This was

to be a quiet insertion with an escorting fire team in case of enemy contact. 466 would insert the LRRP team while the other

slick acted as Command and Control. All went according to plan until on short final, while flaring airspeed and at

approximately 15 to 20 feet above the ground on approach to the L/Z the aircraft started receiving automatic weapons fire

from approximately the two o'clock position. The fire was from such close range and sufficiently loud enough that the AC

mistakenly believed it was the ARVN passengers that were firing their weapons. As he turned to yell a warning to cease

he recognized the rhythm of fire to be more likely to be an AK-47 and not an M-16.  The AC at this point decided to abort

the landing. While turning his head back forward to scan the terrain height and aircraft power settings, he started lowering

the nose of the aircraft to negate the flair and increase the aircraft's forward motion.  At this point, before adding

additional power and as he started to key his radio to warn the Gun team of the aircraft's situation, the aircraft received

another burst of automatic weapons fire. As a round penetrated the pilot's windscreen, it began tumbling and it's jacket

separated from the steel core. Part or the jacket struck the AC's right forearm and the steel core penetrated his flight

helmet and lodged behind his right ear leaving him incapacitated. Since the aircraft was in a nose low attitude, it

continued to descend and crashed into the ground. As the Crew Chief and Gunner/Medic removed the AC from the aircraft the Pilot radioed the Sidekick fire team for support and then chased down two of the ARVN LRRP team members and returned them to the aircraft. The pilot and crew chief, using the returned LRRP team, set up defensive positions behind the aircraft as the medic applied first aid to the AC. The command and control ship flew to a nearby firebase to offload his passengers and the fire team laid down continuous rocket and minigun suppressive fire until the command and control ship returned and extracted the flight crew. More troops were deployed until the aircraft could be recovered. The aircraft remained upright and there was no fire; however, the aircraft received severe structural damage.