Helicopter OH-6A 66-07835

Information on U.S. Army helicopter OH-6A tail number 66-07835
The Army purchased this helicopter 1167
Total flight hours at this point: 00000111
Date: 01/30/1968
Incident number: 68013017.KIA
Unit: B/7/17 CAV
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was REPAIRED IN THEATER
This was a Recon mission for Armed Recon
While Enroute this helicopter was at Level Flight at 0050 feet and 045 knots.
South Vietnam
Helicopter took 4 hits from:
Small Arms/Automatic Weapons; Gun launched non-explosive ballistic projectiles less than 20 mm in size. (7.62MM)
The helicopter was hit in the Left Side
Systems damaged were: FUEL SYS, FLT CONTROLS, COMM SYS, ARMAMENT, PERSONNEL
It is unknown or not reported if the self sealing fuel tank developed a leak.
Casualties = 02 WIA, 01 KIA . .
The helicopter made a Forced Landing. Aircraft was capable of one time flight.
The aircraft was diverted or delayed after completing some mission objectives.
Additional damage upon landing
for 6742.00
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: LNOF, 80146, CASRP, CRAFX, FM232, George Porter (Lindenmuth Old Format Data Base. Crash Facts Message. Casualty Report. )
Summary: Severly damaged by NVA small arms fire while screening in front of Blues near Kontum City. Gunner killed immediately. Crash landed.

Crew Members:
P WO1 PORTER GEORGE N WIA
CP WO1 RAVER GERALD L WIA
G SGT POWERS STEVEN CHARLES KIA

War Story:
It was supposed to be a light duty day. When the sirens went off the next morning SGT Steve Powers was the only one standing there on the flight-line, so we had to go. First stop was Dak To - in the middle of a fire fight. We could only get half a load of fuel because the mortars were walking toward the fuel bladder we were using. They hit the refuel area at Dak To as we were dragging the skids down the runway. We didn't have enough RRM but we had to go. SGT Powers was very cool through the whole thing and did what ever I asked. Good man! I only wish I had known him better. The big guns located at the end of the runway were shooting across the end of the strip and I remember thinking if one went off when we went past it would be over. We stayed low all the way to Kontum where we hoped to get more fuel. Along the way we ran through more artillery that was hidden in the trees. One muzzle blast actually flipped the LOH some and popped our ears. When we got to Kontum and there were jets strafing everything and fires all over the place. We got organized and did a low scout, high guns search and found enemy everywhere. Our grunts were inserted and were pushing the NVA ahead of them in some very low (about 10 feet high) cover. Our job was to locate the enemy somewhere ahead of the troops and put the guns on them. If you went high every gook with an AK-47 would shoot at you; so we were right down on the deck, about 2 feet above the scrub. Suddenly there were three NVA right in front of us so we mini-gunned them, called guns and broke to the left - only to fly directly over three more with their round magazine AKs pointed at us at a range of 15 feet. They got us pretty badly. I was hit in the leg and hand. Raver was hit by spaulding from the console all over the leg. Steve was not answering when we asked how he was doing. We could not see him very well. Between the seats was a "C" ration box full of M79 ammo and there were four WP grenades laying on a chicken plate on the floor of the back. It seemed like a good idea that morning, but, as it was, we could have been a fireball. The engine was shot up and going bad fast. We managed to get about 100 yards away with the trees between us and the NVA. We hit hard. The tail boom clipped off and the skids spread around the belly. We not hurt by the crash at all. The OH-6A is the best crashing plane ever built. The door gunner Steve was slumped over in his straps with no visible wounds but no positive signs at all. I could help Raver, but Steve was much too big for me to carry. The door gunners from Major Iller's plane came out to get him. Major Illers copilot was WO1 Denny Reed on that day. They laid Steve on the deck of the gunship. We tried to help him but we couldn't. When we located the wounds, they were not even bleeding just red holes. He must have been hit right in a vital area like the heart because it appeared that he died instantly. I believe he had four entrance wounds and two exit wounds. He never said a word during the whole flight that day, he acted like he was scared (he certainly had every right to be) but very much in control and then our luck ran out. Poor guy should have stayed away from scouts that day. I think about Steve pretty often no matter what his real name is. Raver and I went to an airfield where we transferred to another ship and went to Pleiku Hospital. I never saw or heard about him again. Crew chief Crow, SP4 I think, from Georgia, would absolutely know his name. Can you imagine how he must have felt, helping this fellow get on a scout ship? One week left in country, what a waste. Submitted to the VHPA by George Porter Oct 2001. To refresh my memory surrounding the question regarding a KIA from B Troop Scouts on Jan 30, 1968, I contacted Rick Schoeny, who was in a Scout at that time, and we essentially came up with the same story. I happened to be flying a HHT UH-1C C&C gunship as Sqdn XO that day. One B Troop OH6 was shot down just north of the city in the vicinity of the A/B and D Troop infantry (am not sure if all were there as some were in the city) sweeping that area. The OH6 made a successful landing near our Blues. We were flying cover and immediately landed behind the OH6 whose rotor blades were still turning as we set down. Our gunner and CE immediately went to the aircraft and helped the crew to our aircraft for evacuation. Both pilots were wounded and the scout/gunner was unconscious as I recall. All were placed in our aircraft with our crew and we immediately departed to Kontum airfield where they were medevaced out, possibly by one of the troop's aircraft. I remembered one of the scout pilots was WO Gerald E. Raver, Rick Schoeny confirmed this and added that the other pilot was WO George N. Porter. Neither Rick nor myself remembers the name of the gunner/scout who was in fact KIA. I am not positive whether the gunner/scout was already dead when we picked him up, died enroute to Pleiku hospital or later. As I recall both pilots were either wounded in the legs, arms or hands, and I believe the gunner/scout was wounded in his groin area. The pilots did a terrific job of setting the OH6 down without further damage in view of the seriousness of the crew's wounds. This whole activity spanned something like 15 minutes or less before their evaced to Pleiku. We immediately returned to provide additional cover to the Blues north of the city as things were getting pretty warm in that area. The other wounding of a B trooper was probably MAJ Bob Hefford who was then commanding B Troop. His aircraft was hit in the windshield area and he took fragments in the face and eye as I recall, there may have been others in his aircraft wounded also. Bob may have taken himself and crew to Pleiku as their helicopter was still flyable. My copilot was CPT Larry Kenyon, the CE could very well have been Mike Lill, do not remember the door gunners name. This is the same day that the ARVN HQ in Kontum was rocketed by the NVA and the ARVN cut loose their FPF (final protective fires) into the area where our Blues were conducting their sweep. Larry & I were still in the area and why we were not hit by friendly fire I will never know. When we realized what had happened, we were finally able to make contact with the US folks with the ARVN CP and get the fires turned off. Fortunately, none of our Blues were hit, but am sure they must remember the intensity of the ARVN fire directed into their area. I believe Maj Florian "Sparks" Thiring and a recovery crew from HHT evaced the OH6 later that same day. Submitted to the VHPA by Al Iller in August 2001.

This record was last updated on 10/25/2001

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Date posted on this site: 11/13/2023