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HERE
On March 8, 1971, 1Lt. John D. Hale, pilot, and Cpl. Robert E. Grantham, observer, were on board an OH-6A helicopter (serial #67-16645) on an armed reconnaissance mission with an AH-1G Cobra gunship and a UH-1A helicopter as a control ship.
The OH-6A aircraft was attempting to start a fire on a hilltop by dropping incinerary grenades.
When 1Lt. Hale's aircraft later made a pass over the area to see if the fire had started, it began receiving ground fire.
The crew of the AH--1G gunship saw the ground fire and engaged a target while instructing Hale to break away. Lt. Hale called after he broke away, "I'm taking fire from 3 o'clock." The AH-1G gunship then broke away from the first source of gunfire to engage the second.
At that time both the OH-6A and AH1G pilots reported taking fire. In the next radio transmission, Hale's O-6A reported that he was hit and was going down, and asked if he was in sight. The AH-1G gunship did see him and called the UH-1H control ship to confirm the sighting, but the control ship could not spot Hale's aircraft.
The gunship began dropping white phosphorous grenades to help illuminate the area of Hale's aircraft. At the time Hale called that he was going down, his aircraft seemed to come apart and begin spinning, as if it had a tail rotor failure. Numerous objects were flying out of the aircraft while it was spinning. The spinning slowed at about 500 feet above the ground, but increased again prior to impact. The aircraft exploded upon impact with the ground.
The chase control ship went over the crash site and hovered there, looking for survivors, but due to the intense enemy fire, it had to leave the area. The control ship returned, but saw no survivors on either hover. The largest part of the aircraft that could be seen was what appeared to be the left engine door. An electronic search was unsuccessful.
No ground search was possible because of the intense enemy activity. Hale and Grantham went down in an area so hot that no one could go in for them. . .
Source: http://www.taskforceomegainc.org/h354.htm
1970-1971, 11B20, B Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry
