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Tough Little OH-6

When discussing the pros and cons of various helicopters used in Vietnam, I have often said that the OH-6 would be at the top of the list to be in when receiving fire or in the case of a crash. I have seen people get up, dust themselves off and walk away from a crash when the main part of the helicopter has rolled up in a ball.

This view would be justified one evening on a last light recon mission in the eastern Quang Tri area.

I was flying with OX (Ed Holmes) on my wing. We were just about to cross a stretch of sandy terrain heading toward the coast when we spotted a lone person walking along. There were clumps of bushes nearby that this person was walking toward. That sixth sense that scouts developed made me feel that I should check out those bushes. I told Ox to watch the lone person while I checked out that area. As I came over the spot and saw half a dozen men lying in a hollow area, I told my gunner (I have never been able to track down who he was that day) to throw a smoke grenade into the hollow so we could flush them out. There were no weapons in sight, so we did not engage them right away. As he tossed the grenade, and I lowered the nose to accelerate away from the spot, one guy stood up just below us with what I assume was an AK-47, and let rip.

I knew the aircraft had been hit because it could be felt through the airframe and there were pieces of armor plating in my lap and on the floor. The little bird was quickly accelerating as I started a sharp right hand turn. I had a very quick look at the gauges; but as we were operating close to the ground, I was primarily relying on that connection a pilot gets with the aircraft he is flying to feel how it is performing. All felt well, so I continued the turn.

Ox saw what happened and asked me if we were OK. I said we were. Some years later he says I told him what to do with the enemy personnel, including the guy he was watching who was now trying to run away from him. I won’t quote what he says I said. I told him I don’t recall saying that, but I knew I was “displeased” about the fact someone had just filled my new Cayuse with holes.

I quickly completed the 360 turn and saw the men that were in the hollow running like I had disturbed an anthill. I opened up with the mini-gun as I approached the spot while my gunner threw a hand grenade and then reached for his trusty M60. As I completed the pass and was getting ready to make another one, I slightly skidded the helicopter so I could see how successful the first pass was and plan the next one. It was then that I saw fuel coming out from under the machine which confirmed that area had also been hit. The bottom part of the tank is self-sealing, but it does take a bit of time for the process to work.

To make the story short, I will just say that Ox told me he had not had time to get into the fight because my gunner and I had already settled the “disagreement” we had with those who started it.

I told Ox to follow behind me as we headed back to base. I said if there was anything that looked like a fire, I was going to put the bird down right away. He said there was no longer any sign of a fuel leak, which was good news. We completed the trip back without further incident.

As my gunner and I looked over the helicopter after we landed, there were holes in everything. The guy was below us and just to the right, and there were even holes in the upper plexiglass windows. We both figured we must have been up in our helmets at the time of the original shooting that started things as there would have been no other place we could have been not to have been hit. The armor plating had done its work. Later inspections showed that even the center frame had been hit several times, and the helicopter had to be sent back to the factory to be rebuilt.

With all that damage, the tough little OH-6 protected us and kept purring along to get us safely back to base. I don’t know where it went after it left Vietnam, but my gunner and I know that it deserved a medal that day.

story by F. Vanatta