Shot Down West of FSB Barbara

Company A

227th Assault Helicopter Battalion

1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

Shot Down Four Klicks West of FSB Barbara -
About the 800th Helicopter Shot Down in Vietnam

by Nick Johnson (Aircraft Commander) and Howard Burbank (Pilot)

Howard Burbank

I was a FNG (F---ing New Guy), only in country for about three weeks when I got shot down.
Up until that day I would describe myself as "fat, dumb and happy". Flying over this countryside was not going to be so bad after all. I had been through a flight with the unit IP to get to know the countryside and review emergency procedures. I had also been through my first Combat Assault - being trained by a "Short Timer" to be a replacement flight leader (Yellow One).
I don't remember which unit we were flying for that day - but Nick Johnson and I were assigned an "ash & trash" resupply mission to support a unit in the field for the day. The unit was in Base Area 101, west of FSB Barbara. Base Area 101 was a focus of the 1st Cavalry at this time and several 1CAV units were in the field for a clearing action.
This unit had been in contact with the enemy the day before and had one KIA that had to be evacuated.
On the first flight into their location it became evident that this was going to be different type mission. The unit was camped under the tall canopy of jungle rather than having moved out into the field next to them. Because of the tall jungle canopy we had to lower a rope through the trees in order to lift out their KIA. We flew a few kilometers to FSB Barbara and there we were able to gently lower the body bag onto the landing pad and put the KIA inside the aircraft for the rest of the trip.
We returned to the Log pad and loaded up for the second trip. A member of the unit who was helping load the aircraft with supplies asked if he could go out with us to deliver the supplies. We said he would have to get permission from his superior.
On our second flight out we returned to the same hover above the canopy and dropped (literally) ammo and food onto their site through the trees.
As we picked up our third load of supplies for the unit at the log pad the member of their unit who was helping to load the ammo and C-Rations onto our aircraft talked us into taking him along for the ride out to deliver the supplies.
On this our third (and last) trip out I again flew the same flight path and came to a hover above the trees. Just as we stopped forward motion we began taking heavy fire from the hillside behind us on the other side of the field. The fire was coming from our seven o'clock position.
At this point time slowed dramatically.
The first indication that we were under fire was that the Plexiglas windshield was being shattered in front of us. The backs of our armored seats were taking hits and our crew chief was wounded from a round that passed up through the fuselage and then into his leg.
I pulled pitch and jumped the aircraft out of hover and began to gain forward airspeed. Rounds were still passing though the aircraft for a few moments, then we moved out of the line of fire.
I remember that the idiot lights on the center console began to light up like a Christmas tree. Although not all these lights are critical the obvious ones of concern immediately turning red were the transmission oil pressure and the hydraulic pressure.
More lights were coming on as I was looking for any place to land. I spotted an opening in the trees ahead of us that looked possible and was just beginning to descend when Nick took over controls and said we would try for the hilltop just east of us that had another friendly unit on location.
I sent out a "Mayday" call to say that we were hit and would be going down four klicks west of LZ Barbara.
This open hilltop we were trying for had been cleared by a large bomb in the past and the 1 CAV troopers there were able to hear the gunfire from down below and watch us make a gentle approach to their location.
The crew chief who had been wounded in the action asked if we would "make it". I can remember assuring him (and myself) that we would make it as far as the hill.
On final, we were both on the controls as the hydraulics were gone - and we flew as "normal" an approach as possible to the hilltop. We did not have the radio frequency for the unit there and we were using hand signals to get their attention to move away - we were already on fire and going to land one way or another.
It seemed as if we were just about six feet above the ground when we ran out of power and options.
The aircraft dropped and tilted (again in slow motion it seemed) and started turning to the right. We turned and pitched onto the left side and as the rotor blades hit the ground we spun around facing the general direction we had come. The aircraft ended up on the left side, somewhat intact - minus blades. Nick kicked out the remainder of the windshield in front of him and was able to slide out as members of the ground unit came to help. The crew chief, gunner and passenger were able to get out without any further injury.
I shut down the aircraft fuel and battery and by then I was the last one in the aircraft.
One of the troopers from the hilltop had jumped up onto the skids to help me get the emergency release to let go on the door. After getting out I remember telling everyone to move away as the aircraft was on fire and carrying a load of ammunition and explosives. We hunkered down and listened to the ammunition burn off as the aircraft became a pile of ash.
I would have liked to count how many rounds it had taken to bring us down.
Our mayday message brought out the neighbors as we had several aircraft of different types fly over the crash site - including a Mohawk (OV-1) which came from further west (A Shau Valley) to check on us. It was the only time I saw a Mohawk while in Vietnam.
After a short while a slick from a sister company landed and brought us out to the medical facility in LZ Sharon. The crew chief had to be sent stateside for his injuries, but we were told he would recover. The rest of us were just shaken up and we were all flying again two days later.
I believe there was one friendly wounded (possible KIA) on the ground from some part of the aircraft hitting him as the aircraft spun.
When we got delivered back to our company area Nick and I were directed to report to HHC/227 to report on the loss of the aircraft and weapons. The officer that met us outside of headquarters basically gave us the option of spending time writing up the shoot down or just going back to the company.
I had since forgotten the date of the accident, aircraft tail number, names of the crew chief that was wounded and the gunner that was with us. I guess we should have written up the incident for the record but at the time it seemed just another day at work. We both were flying again after one day off.
We flew out a couple of days later to take photos - but only from a distance. What was left was a pile of ashes - a smudge on the hilltop - somewhat in the shape of a helicopter.
Reading the daily S-2 intelligence reports, we later learned that the enemy fire we had taken that day was from an NVA anti aircraft unit that was moving south. Intelligence identified them as occupying that hillside on that day.
Never did get a bill for the UH-1H - or my .38 pistol. Both written off as a loss to inventory.
I would like to find the passenger we had that day to hear his version of the story.

Addendum

At our 2009 reunion in Branson I met with Crew Chief Guy Sparrow who identified the crew chief on that flight as Roger Schmidt.
Greg Hayes has identified the gunner on that flight as Paul Dew, KIA 1/16/1969 at Lai Khe
Recently I have also found the 227th Battalion, S-3 Daily Logs for that time period and been able to verify that the aircraft was UH-1H, 67-17378. This aircraft was assigned to A/227 (although the official records for this aircraft show only that it was declared to loss to inventory as of 8/8/1968) and was shot down on August 3, 1968 at grid coordinates 273321 (approximately four (4) klicks west of LZ Barbara, I Corps).
Crew: 1LT Nick Johnson (A/C), 1LT Howard Burbank (P), Roger Schmidt (CE), Paul Dew (G), and one EM passenger.
227th BN, S-3 reports for 8/4/1968 identify the recovery of our crew by A/229 aircraft (Black Bandit 779).

Nick Johnson

My memory of the crash sequence concides with yours.
We had been flying resupply missions all day. It was probably about three or four in the afternoon when we got shot up.
I believe that the unit we were resupplying was one of the companies in the 1/8th. We had done the combat assault to put them in the day before. They had received contact that night and had been probed several times during the day.
They had requested resupply of ammunition and C-rations because they were expecting contact after dark. I told them that we would have to kick out the resupplies. They were elated that we would come back and said that a "kick-out" delivery would be fine.
We had no problems on the approach, but almost as soon as we came to a hover above them, all hell broke loose with heavy fire from our rear. You were at the controls and pulled in full power and we began a slow climb to the northeast.
We lost most of the windscreen and the crewchief said that he was hit.
As you mentioned, the caution panel warning lights began lighting up. The most serious were engine oil, transmission oil and hydraulics. You told me that hydraulics were out and that you were going to try to set it down in a clearing near-by.
I got on the controls and we were able to maintain a climb of about 300 feet per minute without bleeding off RPM. I thought that it would be better to get further away from the area where we just received fire if possible.
I asked you to put out a MAYDAY while I tested the controls. You called Dong Ha on guard while I tried to get some altitude in case we had an engine failure. The engine and transmission oil temperatures were rising rapidly and I made the decision to try to land in a bomb crater where we crashed.
As we were making the turn to final for the crash site, we began losing rotor RPM and the controls were very difficult. Dong Ha asked us to say again MAYDAY. At about that time the FIRE light came on and the gunner said that we were trailing smoke. I told Dong Ha that we were going down and to just "follow the smoke"!
It looked like we were going to make it in OK, but about fifteen feet above the ground, the transmission began freezing up and we could not maintain direction. We had difficulty pulling in power even with both of us on the controls and we began a slow turn.
Our rotor blades hit the front of the bomb crater and the aircraft ended up on the left side. Everyone said that they were OK. I told everyone to meet at the front of the aircraft.
I could not get my door open and had to kick out the rest of the windshield to get out. We all managed to get behind the berm of the bomb crater safely.
As you said, several aircraft flew overhead almost immediately. The ammunition began cooking off and the aircraft was burning. One of the Bandit aircraft came in to pick us up. We flew into a Battalion Aid Station at LZ Sharon.
You and I and the gunner checked out OK, but the Crew Chief was treated and evacuated to Quang Tri hospital and later to Japan and home.
My understanding of the tactical situation at the time was that the 1st Cav's units were deployed in those areas to provide interdiction against NVA units which were deploying in that area to raid the rice paddys during rice harvest. Evidently, that time of year was harvest time, and the NVA was securing rice to resupply units to the South. Again, that information may be incorrect, but that is my recollection of tactical briefings at the time.
I remember that the aircraft was tailnumber 378, and a few weeks later, the Army Times listed us as the 801st aircraft lost in Viet Nam.
I did not remember the names of the crew chief or gunner. We had some cuts and abrasions, and I remember the S-3 telling us that we needed to go report to the flight surgeon to fill out paperwork for Purple Hearts. The three of us agreed that we did not need treatment other than what we had received at the Aid Station at Sharon and we went back to the unit area.
Many were surprised to see us. They had heard that we had crashed and burned, and they had not heard that we had all gotten out safely.
I flew out to the crash site the next day with the maintenance officer. All that was left of the aircraft was the upper part of the tail boom. The flight out was considered my required post-accident check ride and I was scheduled to fly Yellow One as flight lead for combat assaults two days later.
I flew Night Hawk the third night after the crash and received fire again losing hydraulics and making a running landing at Camp Evans.
You said that you were "new". I remember that our gunner was on his first flight in country. He came to my tent the next day and asked if he could fly with me again. I asked him why he would want to do that, and he said that he didn't think that it could be any worse than that and survive, and that he at least knew how I would react under fire, and that he trusted us.