LOH 378's Last Engine Failure - Feb 69
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In February 1969 “D” Troop was a little excess in gun pilots and a little short in LOH pilots. Someone came up with the plan to transition some of us gun pilots in the LOH and let the gun pilots fly “ash & trash” and the LOH pilots concentrate on flying VRs.
Don’t know why I was chosen to be the first to transition, just lucky I guess. Don’t remember how many hours we had flown but Steve said we would do some autos the next day and then he would give me my check ride. This was late in the afternoon and about this time operations called us and said the CO of FSB Stoneman had requested a helicopter so he could check his perimeter. I heard operations say the new guy was not to go. But you know how dumb us new guys were and I don’t think Steve heard them so the new guy went.
The intercom in the back didn’t work, that is why I was in the back so the CO could communicate with Steve.
I think we may have been about 100 feet and 40 knots when the engine failed. On the way down I suspected we were going to hit hard, but I never suspect it was going to be that hard. When the aircraft stopped crashing my feet fell out from under me and I was standing on the ground, don’t know how long but in a way it seemed like a long time and I thought “I have to get out of here,” which I did.
As I said it was late afternoon. Meal time at FSB Stoneman and some of the troops had taken their boots and shirts off to relax. We were 40-50 yards outside the wire and by the time I exited the aircraft they had us surrounded to protect us from any insurgents that may have been nearby. Those guys were great, many came through the wire barefooted.
I never saw Stoneman’s CO again, and it was a couple hours before “D” Troop sent a Huey to take us and the LOH back to Cu Chi.
Never did get checked out in the LOH. Someone said that was the third engine failure on that aircraft, and the last.