The flight was working south of Saigon, The 1^st Division thinking that the mission was to be a hot one, requested a heavy fire team, Three gunships in lieu of the normal two, a light fire team. I was scheduled as the heavy ship. When in the AO I spent most of the morning setting on the ground in a standby mode. This is referred to as hurry up and wait. After lunch the Commander decided that the mission was not playing out as expected, and I got a call from Robinhood Command and Control that I was released, and that I was to return to Lia Khe.

I took off and returned to Lia Khe, upon landing, the Crew Chief requested that I call operations and request the fuel truck, He wanted to put the ship away fully fueled. I complied, and operations sent out the fuel truck. I turned off all electronics and we refueled hot setting at flight idle. As the fuel truck left, I turned on the radios and other electronics in time to hear over guard a Mayday call, the Mayday call gave a set of coordinates, I quickly checked my map and the coordinates of the call was at the southern perimeter of Lia Khe. I called Robinhood operations and advised that I was going to our southern perimeter to checkout a Mayday call that I heard on guard. They rogered my transmission and asked to be kept advised. I then called Lia Khe Tower and asked if they had heard the Mayday, the Tower advised that they had heard it but didn’t know anything about it. I advised them that I made the coordinates at our southern perimeter, I asked for permission for take off. The Tower getting in the right sprit waived off incoming traffic for Crossbow 38 on the active to respond to a Mayday.

We flew out and in the traffic pattern limits of Lia Khe, we found a Hook lying on its side in a stream. The markings where familiar, It was a Black Cat ship, a sister company. As I made an initial pass over the ship a crewmember popped out of the round porthole and was wildly motioning toward the southwest. I took this as the direction that he had received fire. I then called Robinhood operations requesting a slick to pick up the downed crew and for a second gunship as a wingman. I further advised that they might want to contact Battalion since it was a Black Cat ship. Robinhood operations dispatched a slick and a second gunship as a wingman. We searched the southwest area a saw no movement and set up a circular sweep of the area to insure no one was moving in from any direction to take advantage of the ship down. The slick picked up the downed and wet crew and took them to Lia Khe, They reported that the crew was OK.

While searching the area, on our company frequency I got a call from Red Dog Six, our Battalion Commander, He showed up on station and asked what was going on. I could not tell him how the ship got there in the first place, but I assumed that it was due to enemy fire, That a Robinhood slick had recovered the downed crew, and that I was advised all where OK, Robinhood operations could give better details on that aspect. While searching, my door gunner spotted two on the move. I called to Red Dog Six, Sir, my crew just spotted two on the move, He responded with, "getum Crossbow 38." I did not see the two guys moving but put a rocket where the door gunner had described. He described a trail leading into the woods. He then Hollered excitedly, "Oh shit sir, they disappeared one second and your rocket went smooth down the trail hot on their butts. You had to have got them." I’ll never know if we got them or not, but I’m sure we got their attention. Red Dog Six then ordered us to blow up the hook, it would have been impossible to lift it out it was lying on its side in a large stream the ship was full of water. I advised Red Dog Six that we could put some rockets in it but to destroy it would take an air strike. Red Dog arranged for the Air Force to take care of the problem.

If any of the Black Cats recall this incident, I would be curious to find out what happened, was it enemy fire, or a malfunction that put the ship down so close to a base?