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Sample Narrative of a Lost Bird Dog

 

The Demise of Bird Dog # 53-08032

 

Dong Tam AF, 3 Februar= y 1968

 

 

The following is a recall of the demise of the O= -1G, tail # 53-08032 which occurred on the night of 2-3 February 1968 at Dong Ta= m AF in Dinh Tuong Province, RVN.  = As a sector pilot assigned to the 1st Platoon, 199th RAC a= nd based at Ben Tre in support of Kien Hoa Province, I was flying in support of the MACV Advisory Team 93.  Du= e to the disruptive activities in Ben Tre City following the initial TET attacks, the USA Bird Dogs were relocated to Dong Tam because the Truc Giang AF (Ben Tre) was not secure for night operations.&= nbsp; During the night of 2-3 Feb, I was flying a nightcap mission over the province’s area of operation in order to provide communications betwe= en the Province’s TOC and the outlying district teams.=

During the day of 2 Feb, Tim Davenport (the other sector pilot) and I had flown alternating missions in support of the clean = up operation that was being conducted by the US 9th Division to rel= ieve Ben Tre City.  The TOC had also requested that we night cap the province.&= nbsp; Davenport flew the first mission, and I flew the second.  Up until this time, we had been fl= ying one USA Bird Dog and one USAF O-1 in support of Kien Hoa requirements.  We had picked up the USAF aircraft= at Truc Giang on the morning of TET because the other USAF aircraft had been schatchel charged during the initial attack on the airfield.  We landed and flew it out in order= to have two aircraft to support the province during the TET operations conduct= ed by the 9th Div Task Force.  We were flying the gray “loaner” aircraft and a “spare” 199th aircraft leading up to the night of 2 = Feb.

Late in the day of the 2nd, Sam Linch= (one of the sector FACs) was lifted out of Ben Tre City by chopper to Dong Tam.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>  The USAF wanted to reclaim their aircraft, so after coordination with the FACs and the TOC, we parked the gr= ay O-1, # 0-12867 at Dong Tam.  W= e had also obtained another 1st Platoon aircraft from My Tho in order = to have two 199th aircraft supporting operations in Kien Hoa Province.

After a 2200 hour takeoff from Dong Tam and reli= eving Davenport on station, I had suggested that the USAF utilize its pilot and aircraft to relieve me on station over Kien Hoa between at 0130 on 3 Feb.  All parties agreed that three airc= raft supporting the province was better than just two.  Davenport was to relieve Linch on station sometime after 0400-0430, if required.

During the mid-night time frame, Dong Tam began receiving occasional mortar rounds and pestering automatic weapons fire into and around the airfield.  Prio= r to 0100, I had asked Dong Tam AF Advisory to keep me informed of the activity,= and that I would be monitoring their frequency for updates.  At 0125, I contacted Dong Tam and = was advised that there had been no hostile fire for the last ten minutes.  At 0135, I informed Advisory that I would be landing on runway 35, and indicated that due to no reported traffi= c, that I would be landing without lights (blacked out) and reported a 4-mile final.  Dong Tam reported no o= ther traffic, and I continued the approach and reported a 2-mile final; I report= ed a ½ mile final and was cleared to land.  I rolled out to within 200 feet of= the departure end of runway 35, turned around and reported that I would back ta= xi on the active and report clear, and that I was remaining blacked out.  I had taxied approximately 400 fee= t when a collision occurred while I was still on the active runway.

I had been run over by the gray aircraft (# 0-12= 867) being operated by Sam Finch.  = Sam was not monitoring the airfield’s operational frequency.  As it turned out, Linch’s in= tent was to relieve me on station as planned, but was delayed while plotting artillery firings.  He was monitoring the artillery advisory frequency instead of the airfield frequen= cy while he was on the runway preparing to take off on runway 17.  Neither of the pilots were injured= , but two Bird Dogs were destroyed at Dong Tam on 3 Feb ’68 at 0140, one gr= ay, and one olive drab in color.  = I was the pilot of # 53-08032, it had been assigned to the company for two months= and was a very fine flying “slick”.

A week later, the 611th Trans (DS) Co= flew a UH-1 into Dong Tam.  The rec= overy team removed the engine & prop, tail surfaces, instruments, and radios;= and loaded them into the helicopter’s cabin.  The remains of “032” w= ere hauled off to the Dong Tam trash pile in the NW corner of the airfield.  I was there to watch the process.<= o:p>

 

Bob Woolley.

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        &= nbsp;   Note:  The above degree of detail is what should be contained in other loss narratives.