HARRY'S SCARY NIGHT!
YOU HAVE ASKED FOR A FEW "WAR" STORIES TO ADD TO OUR WEB SITE SO MAYBE SOME ONE WILL REMEMBER THE NIGHT I "CRUNCHED" WHILE TRYING TO LAND UP IN BAO LOC. HA! I CAN ASSURE YOU I NEVER WILL FORGET THAT NIGHT AND ALL I CAN SAY IS THE GOOD "LORD" WAS JUST NOT READY FOR HARRY BROUSSARD. THE GUY I WAS FLYING WITH WAS A YOUNG PILOT BY THE NAME OF WILLIE PATE. THINKING BACK ON THE EXPERIENCE, MAYBE HAD MR. PATE BEEN A LITTLE MORE OBSERVANT ON THE DASH WE MIGHT NOT HAVE MET THE "TERRA FIRMA" THE WAY WE DID. I WAS THE AIRCRAFT COMMANDER SO I DO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT HAPPENED BUT IF I EVER SEE WILLIE PATE AGAIN I WILL ASK HIM TO BUY ME A BEER FOR GETTING HIS BUTT BACK TO BASE CAMP IN ONE PIECE.
SO HERE WE GO. WHAT I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU IS ABOUT A SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSION I WAS INVOLVED WITH WHILE ON MY FIRST TOUR TO RVN IN 1967. A LOT OF YOU IN THE 92ND AHC WILL REMEMBER FLYING MISSIONS OUT OF A LITTLE VILLAGE NAMED BAO LOC. IT IS LOCATED ABOUT 70 OR 80 MILES SOUTHWEST FROM CAM RHAN BAY UP IN THE HIGHLANDS. THIS PARTICULAR OPERATION HAPPENED DURING THE "RAINY" SEASON AND ANY ONE WHO FLEW IN THOSE AREAS DURING THOSE TIMES WILL REMEMBER THE LOW CEILINGS AND RESTRICTED VISIBILITY. WE HAD BEEN OPERATING IN THAT LOCALE FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND ACTUALLY LIVING IN TENTS. I HAD MADE MYSELF AN "IFR" HOOD AND PRACTICED INSTRUMENT TAKEOFFS EVERY CHANCE I COULD. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE WONDERING WHAT THE HELL IS AN "IFR" HOOD? WELL IT IS A LITTLE DEVICE THAT ATTACHED TO A PILOT'S HELMET THAT LIMITS HIS VISIBILITY FOR ACTUALLY SEEING OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT BUT ALLOWS HIM TO FLY THE A\C BY USING THE INSTRUMENTS ON THE DASH. LATER IN MY FLYING CAREER I BECAME VERY GOOD AT DOING THIS BUT AT THE TIME OF THIS EVENT I CERTAINLY HAD A LOT TO LEARN.
I REMEMBER THAT PARTICULAR DAY AS ONE WITH SOME RAIN AND FOG. MOST OF OUR FLIGHTS WERE CONDUCTED LOW LEVEL BECAUSE OF POOR VISIBILITY IN THE OPERATING AREA. FLIGHT OPERATIONS CEASED LATE THAT AFTERNOON AND AS NIGHT APPROACHED THE RAIN FINALLY STOPPED. A SOLID OVERCAST AT ABOUT 300 FEET WOULD MAKE ANY NIGHT FLIGHT OPERATIONS VERY DANGEROUS AND HONESTLY NONE OF US THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE TO FLY AGAIN TILL THE NEXT DAY. WRONG! AFTER SUPPER SOMEONE FROM OPERATIONS CAME AND SAID ONE OF OUR AIRCRAFT HAD NOT RETURNED FROM THE AFTERNOON MISSION. THEN AS I RECALL SOME VIETNAMESE UNIT CALLED AND REPORTED HEARING WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A CRASH NOT FAR FROM THEIR POSITION. THEN THINGS REALLY GOT SCREWED UP. NO ONE FOR SURE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON OR FOR THAT MATTER WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO. THEN WE DECIDED WE HAD TO DO SOMETHING, SO THEY ASKED FOR VOLUNTEERS TO GO OUT TO THE CRASH SITE WHICH WAS SUPPOSE TO BE ONLY ABOUT 5 MILES NORTH OF BAO LOC. SINCE I HAD BEEN PRACTICING MY INSTRUMENT FLYING ALL DAY I FELT CONFIDENT I COULD PERFORM THE MISSION AND HOPEFULLY RESCUE THE CREW OF THE DOWNED AIRCRAFT. I CAN'T REMEMBER THE OTHER VOLUNTEERS BUT TWO OTHER CREWS AGREED TO FLY THE GUNSHIPS, WHICH WOULD PROVIDE COVER ONCE THE CRASH SITE WAS DISCOVERED. SO AFTER A LITTLE DISCUSSION WE DECIDED TO DEPART OUR LOCATION IN TRAIL FORMATION AND FLY ALONG THE HIGHWAY THAT HEADED NORTH OUT OF BAOLOC. AFTER DEPARTING WE CLIMBED TO ABOUT 300 FEET AND STAYED JUST BELOW THE OVERCAST. THE LIGHTS OF THE CITY SHINED BRIGHT OFF THE RIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT AS WE HEADED OUT AND AT THAT TIME I WAS FEELING PRETTY CONFIDENT. THE GUNSHIPS REPORTED IN AND WE WERE ON OUR WAY. I REMEMBER IT WAS VERY DARK ONCE WE GOT AWAY FROM THE CITY LIGHTS AND THATS WHEN I REALLY STARTED GETTING SCARED. IT FELT KIND OF LIKE FLYING INTO AN INK WELL AND WHEN YOU ARE ONLY ABOUT 300 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND THAT IS NOT A GOOD FEELING TO SAY THE LEAST. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, IF WE HAD TO GO INTO THE CLOUDS THERE WAS NO INSTRUMENT APPROACH TO GET BACK TO BAO LOC. IT WOULD HAVE MEANT GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO CAM RHAN BAY JUST TO BE ABLE TO LAND AND WHO KNOWS WHAT KIND OF WEATHER WE MIGHT HAVE ENCOUNTERED ENROUTE.
THEN IT HAPPENED! ALL OF A SUDDEN WE FLEW DIRECTLY INTO A DRIVING RAIN STORM. THERE WAS NO TURBULENCE BUT IT WAS RAINING SO HARD IT SEEMED LIKE I HAD FLOWN DIRECTLY INTO A BIG CAR WASH GOING FULL BLAST. I TOLD WILLIE TO KEEP HIS EYES GLUED TO THE ALTIMETER AND IF I CLIMBED OR DESCENDED SO MUCH AS A 50 FOOT INCREMENT FOR HIM TO TAKE THE CONTROLS. MY BUTT WAS BITING HOLES IN THE SEAT OF MY PANTS AS WE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A 180 DEGREE TURN TO GET OUT OF THAT TORRENTIAL DOWN POUR. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE TWO GUN SHIPS TO TELL THEM OF MY SITUATION AND DIRECTED THEM TO DO THE SAME. WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE MANUEVER WITH OUT A MID AIR COLLISION AND SHORTLY AFTERWARDS RECIEVED WORD TO RETURN TO BASE. OPERATIONS CALLED AND REPORTED RECIEVING WORD THAT THE AIRCRAFT WE HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR HAD IN FACT LANDED SAFELY IN CAM RHAN BAY SO THE SEARCH WAS CALLED OFF.
SO HERE WE COME BACK IN TRAIL FORMATION, TWO GUNSHIPS AND ME. IT HAD STOPPED RAINING AND THE CITY WAS SHINING BRIGHTLY ON MY LEFT AS WE APPROACHED THE LANDING ZONE. THE TWO GUN SHIPS LANDED FIRST AND I ASKED THE LAST ONE TO LEAVE HIS ROTATING BEACON ON TO GIVE ME A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE AS I BEGAN MY APPROACH. I HAD MADE PLENTY OF NIGHT APPROACHES SINCE ARRIVING IN VIETNAM SO THIS WAS NO BIG DEAL OR SO I THOUGHT. FOR THOSE OF US WHO FLEW OUT OF THIS AREA MOST WILL RECALL THE FIVE OR MORE BIG TALL TREES THAT WERE ADJACENT TO THE "FRIENDLY" VIETNAMESE COMPOUND NEXT TO OUT TENT AREA. THE APPROACH INTO OUR LANDING AREA WAS MADE OVER THESE TREES AND IN THE DAY TIME NEVER REALLY POSED A PROBLEM. ALTHOUGH I COULD NOT SEE THESE ON THAT NIGHT I KNEW THEY WERE THERE AND I REMEMBER TELLING MR. PATE I WAS GOING TO MAKE A STEEP APPROACH TO AVOID HITTING THEM. NOW THERE IS WHERE I STARTED GETTING INTO TROUBLE.
REMEMBER I AM SITTING IN THE RIGHT SEAT BECAUSE DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE MISSION I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO SEE ALL THE INSTRUMENTS IN THE COCKPIT. NOW HOWEVER, MY VIEW FOR A STEEP APPROACHED IS SOME WHAT RESTRICTED BY THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BUT I CONTINUED THE DESCENT AND INITALLY EVERTHING SEEMED TO BE GOING AS PLANNED. I ALSO REMEMBER TELLING MR. PATE THAT I WAS GOING TO MAKE A STEEPER THAN NORMAL APPROACH JUST TO MAKE SURE I WOULDN'T HIT A TREE. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE LIGHT {ROTATING BEACON} THAT I HAD BEEN USING TO HELP GUIDE MY APPROACH BEGAN MOVING DOWN MY WINDSHIELD. I REDUCED MORE POWER BUT THE LIGHT CONTINUED TO DESCEND AND AT THAT TIME I TOLD MR. PATE I WAS GOING TO MAKE A VERTICAL APPROACH INTO THE COMPOUND. THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER HEARING IS SOMEONE SCREAMING "YOU ARE COMING STRAIGHT DOWN!" AND AT THAT TIME I JERKED THE COLLECTIVE UP AS FAST AND AS HARD AS I COULD TO TRY AND STOP THE DESCENT. THE AIRCRAFT HIT THE GROUND AND STUCK AND I REMEMBER LOOKING OUT THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND SEEING A BIG ROLL OF CONCERTIINA WIRE RIGHT AT THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT. OPERATIONS CALLED AND ASKED WHY I HAD LANDED SO SHORT AND TOLD ME TO HOVER OVER TO MY ASSIGNED LANDING AREA. THAT'S WHEN MY CREWCHIEF TOLD ME TO SHUT THE AIRCRAFT DOWN AND THAT THE TAIL BOOM ALSO WAS STRADLING ANOTHER ROLL OF WIRE. APPARENTLY THE VIETNAMESE HAD BUILT AN OBSTACLE COURSE BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER PERIMETER OF THEIR COMPOUND AND THAT IS WHERE WE HAD NEARLY CRASHED. OPERATIONS SENT A JEEP OVER TO GET US. WITH WIRE CUTTERS THEY WERE ABLE TO CUT US A SMALL OPENING SO WE COULD GET OUT AND GET BACK TO OUR COMPOUND.
WHEW! WHAT A CLOSE CALL. WE NEARLY HIT ONE OF THOSE TREES DURING THE DESCENT AND HAD THAT HAPPENED I PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE SURVIVED TO TELL THIS STORY. I DETERMINED LATER THAT I HAD EXPERIENCED VERTIGO DURING THE APPROACH AND THAT PROBABLY CAUSED IF NOT CONTRIBUTED TO THE CRASH. ANYONE WHO FLEW THE OLD "HUEY" WILL REMEMBER THAT WHEN THE COLLECTIVE WAS LOWERED THE NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TENDED TO LIFT. FORWARD PRESSURE ON THE CYCLIC WAS NECESSARY TO KEEP THE NOSE DOWN BUT ON THAT FATEFUL NIGHT I WAS CHASING THE LIGHT DOWN THE WIND SHIELD AND INSTEAD OF OVERFLYING MY POINT OF INTENDED LANDING I BEGAN SETTLING ON MY APPROACH AND NEVER REACHED MY INTENDED OBJECTIVE.
FORTUNATELY THE ONLY THING I HURT WAS MY PRIDE. WE DID SPREAD THE SKIDS BUT THE NEXT DAY THE MAINTENANCE OFFICER PREFLIGHTED THE "BIRD", CRANKED IT UP AFER REMOVING ALL THE WIRE, AND FLEW IT BACK TO CAM RHAN BAY FOR A NEW SET OF "SHOES". I WAS GIVEN A SHORT CHECK RIDE AND CONTINUED FLYING MISSIONS.
IN CONCLUSION LET ME SAY THAT I WAS VERY LUCKY IN THAT SITUATION. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO REMEMBERS THE CREWMEMBERS INVOLVED IN THE EVENT.
1LT HARRY BROUSSARD
Stallion Section Leader
Nov67 - Oct68
SECTION LEADER
