Battle of LZ Crystal information
for H/10 CAV
129 AHC
For date 720605
H/10 CAV was a US Army unit
129 AHC was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Incident reference: 72060510.BAT This information is available on CD-ROM.
Binh Dinh Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, LZ Crystal
Description: Close Call: Airpower to the Rescue by Frank Beall
LZ Crystal, 30 miles NNW of Qui Nhon, had been under siege since June 1, 1972 when the 41st ARVN Regiment and its U.S. Advisory Team was surrounded by elements of the 3rd NVA Division reinforced by several VC battalions. Four days of artillery barrages, naval gunfire, and air strikes had broken the siege. Daybreak, 5 June, a 'pink team' from H/10 Air Cavalry was dispatched to the Phu My-LZ Crystal area in an effort to locate retreating enemy forces and antiaircraft positions. The LOH, OH-6A, with Aero Scout Pilot, 1LT Frank Beall and Aerial Observer, SP4 Doug Hansen, descended to treetop level and began performing the VR mission. Overhead, C&C, UH-1H, with Aircraft Commander, CPT Zane Brown, and Pilot, WO1 Ted Clymer, directed the Scout toward Phu My. One AH-1G Cobra gunship, with Aircraft Commander, CPT Dean Priddy, and Pilot, 1LT Jerry Paul, provided cover. Approaching the village, Beall and Hansen observed enemy forces and began receiving small arms fire. The Scout called, "Taking fire, 12 o'clock, breaking right." Hansen returned fire with an M-60 from his left front seat position. The Snake rolled-in firing rockets and spraying the tree lines with minigun, covering the evasively maneuvering LOH. C&C called: "Red one-five, backblast!" Smoke trailed a missile launched from the tree line. During the spring of 1972, the Communist had introduced the shoulder fried SA-7 "Strella" heat seeking missile to South Vietnam. As a countermeasure, IR deflectors were being installed on most of the helicopter fleet, however, the OH-6 didn't have this modification. Tactically, pilots were briefed to turn back toward a heat seeking missile in order to trick the infrared sensor causing premature missile detonation before it could hit its target. Too late for a 180-degree turn, the LOH was hit by an SA-7 that severed the killer egg's tail boom aft of the exhaust outlet. Beall radioed, "Shit! Going down!" Tail boom gone, the drastic CG change caused the LOH to tuck nose down, nearly inverted, and roll and spin to the right. Beall's only choice was to close the throttle and pull pitch before crashing inside the enemy infested area.
Overhead, the Cobra and C&C were providing covering fire for the downed LOH crew. Hansen unbuckled and noticed Beall slumped over, hanging in his shoulder harness. Thinking Beall was a goner, Hansen grabbed about a hundred rounds of linked-ammo for his M-60 and took cover in the tree line. The LOH continued being riddled by small arms fire and fumes from the smoldering turbine began filling the cockpit. Beall groggily awakened, having only been knocked unconscious by a 'chicken plate' uppercut on impact. He unbuckled and fell through the broken plexiglass windshield. Hansen saw his movement and came to his aid. Both moved back into the tree line. Beall's M-16 and sidearm were ejected in the crash, but his vest still contained a survival radio. He made contact with C&C on guard. An orange rescue marker was placed on the ground so air cover could verify their position. Bad guys were moving in and the sleaky Snake salvoed nails disintegrating three NVA soldiers on the verge of an ambush. C&C radioed for reinforcement aircraft and advised the downed airmen a rescue attempt would be made north of their position in another rice paddy. One of the gunships arriving on scene was flown by CPT Lynn Stephens and CPT Don Hanning (KIA 9/3/72), 60th AVN out
of Ninh Hoa. Cautiously making their way along a trail to the pick-up-point, the airmen encountered a Viet Cong guerrilla, but a burst from the M-60 ruined his day. An AK-47 was souvenired for more firepower. C&C made an approach to the LZ. The door gunners were having jamming problems, so Zane made pedal turns always keeping a working M-60 firing toward the men on the ground. With an exchange of friendly and hostile fire ricocheting off the water, the two newly initiated ground pounders sloshed through the rice paddy and jumped on board. The Cobra covered the rescue with rockets and miniguns blazing. As the UH-1 departed, the tree line lit up again. C&C took hits. Zane called Dean, "Taking hits. We're going down!" Impact!
Another period of unconsciousness was interrupted by the thunderous noise of gunships and fast movers overhead. The earlier radio call by YELLOWSCARF 16, along with the help of a FAC code name WOLFMAN, brought some eleven gunships and four fighters on the scene. The deafening sound of a complete inventory of air ordnance was raining down on the enemy positions. Looking to his right, Beall saw Hansen slumped over a rice paddy dike with a screwdriver in his back. Crew chiefs on Hueys sometimes place a screwdriver in the framework of the pilot's armored seats for quick fixes. This tool had apparently become airborne when the C&C crashed and lodged in Hansen's back. He was breathing, but ailing badly. Ted Clymer was to the left with his M-14 [believe this should be M-16] poised for action. Most of his usually exotic survival gear was lost in the crash, but he did manage to salvage two full magazines of 7.62mm ammo. Crew Chief, SP4 Mark Ely, had his right foot crushed on impact and blood was oozing out of his boot. Gunner, SP4 Denver Richards, looking dazed, held a pilot's .38 caliber revolver for protection. Zane had ventured back to his broken aircraft to retrieve armament and shut-down the runaway engine averting a possible catastrophic explosion. After his return Zane was manning his survival radio when he eyeballed Beall and said, "Look at your chest." His 'chicken plate' had been splattered by two AK rounds. Without it, he'd been history. Beall's wounded right thigh rendered his leg useless, but luckily everyone was still alive. Amazing! Gunships guarded the crew's hasty defensive position. Wounded enemy soldiers could be heard moaning in pain nearby. Fast movers continued striking targets in the distance and strafed our perimeter along with the helicopter gunships. High overhead, a 129th AHC UH-1H with A/C, MAJ Alan Jones, and Pilot, CPT Bruce Palmer, were flying "Air Boss" for operations in the area. Jones witnessed the shoot downs and realized he was the only ship available to go in for the rescue. Two attempts were thwarted by an uprising of hostile fire with all the ordnance expended it was incredible how so many bad guys were still fighting and able to fend off the air rescue effort. Thinking they were doomed, the downed airman wondered if there would ever be anymore wine, women, and song; a humbling and frightening thought, yet everyone was relying on faith and the guys on top. With no U.S. ground combat troops available for insertion, this was strictly airpower to the rescue. Finally, on the third attempt, with his 20 minute low-fuel caution light illuminated, Jones landed his rescue ship about 25 meters from the downed crew's position. Gunships and fighters strafed the perimeter. Two snakes made slow, almost hovering gun runs above the slick firing rockets and miniguns into the tree line while the rescue was being accomplished. The downded airmen scrambled to the rescue helicopter while Jones made a quick count to make sure all six were on-board. Initially he counted only five, but one soldier had curled-up directly behind his seat. He wasn’t about to leave somebody and have to go back, so once all six were confirmed, he departed under another hail of gunfire. In what seemed like hours was all over in about 30 minutes. After a quick fuel stop in Phu Cat, the wounded were flown to the Evac Hospital at Qui Nhon. MAJ Jones received a Silver Star for his galant actions, risking his life to save the lives of six Army crewmen.
After-mission reconnaissance photos [taken by the USAF and obtained by Frank] clearly show the wreckage of the LOH and Huey within 100 meters of each other. A sweep by ARVN forces confirmed over 150 enemy KIA and numerous weapons captured, including an expended SA-7 launcher. Truly an example of coordinated airpower among Army, Navy, and Air Force pilots, remarkably precise close air support resulted in this successful rescue with no friendlies KIA. Many brave Americans were involved, some named, others sill unknown. Thanks to the heroic airmen who risked their lives to save fellow comrades in dire straits, this was just another Close Call!
The notes on the photos of the awards ceremony state that COL Geise from the 1st Avn Bde and H Troop CO MAJ Brown presented CPT Zane Brown a Silver Star, 1LT Frank Beall a DFC and Purple Heart [he is using crutches to help him walk], WO1 Ted Clymer a DFC, and SP4 Mark Ely a Bronze Star. Since SP4 Denver Richards and SP4 Doug Hansen were not present at the ceremony, we can only assume they had been evaced.
Frank Beall
Scout Pilot
H/10 CAV, 1972
The source for this information was VHPA Member Frank Beall
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Last updated
08/14/2005
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023