Information on U.S. Army helicopter UH-1C tail number 66-15005
This record was last updated on 05/28/2015
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Date posted on this site:
11/13/2023
Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
The Army purchased this helicopter 0167
Total flight hours at this point: 00000871
Date: 10/01/1968
Incident number: 68100111.KIA
Unit: 116 AHC
This was a Combat incident. This helicopter was REPAIRED
for Close Air Support
While On Target this helicopter was Attacking at 0100 feet and 080 knots.
South Vietnam
Helicopter took 8 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 Cockpit
Systems damaged were: PERSONNEL
Casualties = 01 KIA, 01 WIA . .
The helicopter Continued Flight.
The aircraft was diverted prior to accomplishing any mission objectives.
Original source(s) and document(s) from which the incident was created or updated: Survivability/Vulnerability Information Analysis Center Helicopter database. Also: UH1P3, 27501 ()
Crew Members:
G SP4 PLAVCAN KENNETH MICHAEL KIA
AC CW2 BOREN JAMES R
War Story:
Subject: Information on Kenneth Michael Plavcan, 116th AHC Stingers
Got a copy of the KIA report on Kenny Plavcan from Bill Reid.It looks like
some of the entries are wrong.Here is the story as best I can remember it.
I was flying as Aircraft Commander with a Stinger light fire team in
support of the 25th Division (Wolfhounds?) in the vicinity of the HOBO
woods. We were on our second or third fuel load,providing recon and cover
for a company sized unit that was moving on a sweep through the woods
(knocked down trees and small brush) to the north. There had been no contact
all morning. As we made a pass in front of an advancing platoon, Kenny saw a
VC in a spider hole about 100 meters in front of the troops.
I attempted to contact the unit on the ground but someone was giving a long
log report on their command frequency and was keeping the mike keyed
throughout. I tried several times while orbiting the area but was unable to
break through the transmission. I set up a right hand orbit so Kenny could
keep the area of the spider hole in sight.The VC couldn't see the troops but
he was located on the west end of a east-west clearing( fire lane) that one
squad of the platoon was about to cross.
I told Kenny to fire on the VC with the door gun so the troops would stop.
As we passed between the troops and the VC(about 100ft altitude), Kenny
started firing out the right door about 30 meters out. I was watching him
(from the left seat) and suddenly he leaned out and started shooting almost
straight down. Immediately, we started taking hits in the cockpit and I quit
looking. As we pulled off the target I checked the instruments (and myself)
and asked if everyone was OK. The crew chief (Joe Capon)(spelling?) said
they were hit. Kenny was half in and half out of the right door and had been
hit in the forehead. Joe had been hit in the foot and thigh(I think). Joe
pulled Kenny into the helicopter while I broke for the 25th Evac as fast as
she would go. We landed on the pad (leaking fuel).Kenny was pronounced dead
as soon as they got him inside the 25th. Joe was later evacuated to
somewhere out of the country( I think), but came back to the unit after I
had left (I was told).
We bounced off the medevac pad to the Hornets nest and shut the aircraft
down. We later counted 18 hits (fourteen of them forward of the firewall).
My wingman said we had taken fire from one or two other spiderholes while we
were engaging the one we had seen. We never saw the others. I later got a
report that they had killed three(I think) VC in that immediate area.
I have always felt that we would have lost troops on the ground if we hadn't
taken the action we did and that Kenny may have kept us from being shot down
if he hadn't shifted his fire and exposed himself to protect the aircraft.
Since Joe Capon was the crew chief, it had to be his C model Frog that was
called "The Judge"
Joe had modified the ammo can for the 40 MM and I think it held over 300
rounds. It always worked (except one time when I forgot to stow it and
filled the muzzel with asphalt trying to get off the ground--Joe was pissed)
I was real short when I flew this mission (about 7-10 days left) I flew one
more mission after that and then went back to the world. Went back to a
different unit in 71.
Jim Boren