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Battle Damaged OH-58D Pix

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  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Moooooon River!
Battle Damaged OH-58D Pix
Posted by Trigger on Saturday, January 22, 2005 9:45 AM
Morning all

Salbando sent me these pix this morning to share with everyone of an OH-58D that encountered some small arms fire:










Needless to say, they got into a little hostile territory. This thing took hundreds of rounds and yet returned its crew back to base, including direct hits into the engine, transmission, control systems, avionics, flight computers, and both main and tail rotor. The 2-man crew sustained multiple injuries, but survived.
------------------------------------------------------------------ - Grant "Can't let that nest in there..."
  • Member since
    February 2004
  • From: Green Lantern Corps HQ on Oa
Posted by LemonJello on Saturday, January 22, 2005 10:07 AM
That's a testament to the survivability put into those birds. Amazing that they could get that home with all the holes in it and the crew, apparently.
A day in the Corps is like a day on the farm; every meal is a banquet, every paycheck a fortune, every formation a parade... The Marine Corps is a department of the Navy? Yeah...The Men's Department.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Modeling anything with "MARINES" on the side.
Posted by AH1Wsnake on Saturday, January 22, 2005 10:13 AM
Nasty, nasty stuff.

 

"There are only two kinds of people that understand Marines: Marines and those who have met them in battle. Everyone else has a second-hand opinion."
  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: returning to the FSM forum after a hiatus
Posted by jinithith2 on Saturday, January 22, 2005 12:37 PM
what was it hit by? flaks? MGs?
  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Lafayette, LA
Posted by Melgyver on Saturday, January 22, 2005 12:58 PM
Looks like a lot of "luck" and the grace of God got that bird and it's crew home!

Clear Left!

Mel

  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, January 22, 2005 7:37 PM
scary... good thing the pilots survived!
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: phoenix
Posted by grandadjohn on Saturday, January 22, 2005 7:59 PM
Glad the crew got back, loads of damage
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 24, 2005 9:29 PM
Grant,
Thanks for posting the pics. My understanding is that it was all small arms fire.
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Kiowa Battle damage
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 12:26 AM
Looking at the pics up close, it looks like they took multiple hits from both 7.62 and .50 cal rounds from below and slightly aft of the helicopter. The cockpit armor saved the crew, but it looks like they may have taken a hit or two in the legs. Nasty stuff. Really is a testament to both the bird and the crew that they were able to get this one home!

"1-6 is in hot"
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 11:15 AM
It was hit by a rocket while on the pad at BIAP. Nobody was in it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 11:19 AM
Correction, a Rocket or mortar went off near the 58D while parked. Can't remember which swiss cheesed it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 10:26 PM
Bell knows how to make some tough birds.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 27, 2005 1:48 AM
Not what I heard, but I obviously wasn't there. A Blackhawk crew chief I met a while back doing a 180 day stint said it was small arms and that both crew members did have injuries. BTW, RPG's are small arms in my book.
Just what I heard, and what he sent me.

mscottholt,
Where'd you get the Intel? Are you deployed?
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 27, 2005 9:00 AM
The aircraft was parked on the hardstand at Baghdad Int'l Airport When it received incoming fire. The photo you are looking at is or is very similar tothe official Army Safety Center picture taken. .50cal/12.7mm rounds, due to their weight, punch very neat holes, not ragged like those in the picture. If it took fire in the air, the holes would be oval in nature, and the nature of the holes are very horizontal/flat. .50cal or even small arms fire striking the aircrew would leave blood, on the seats, windshield, and would be dispersed by the rotorwash throughout the cockpit. If there were casualties, we would immediately yank the armor, the seats etc, leaving a bare bones cockpit, as they would be examined in great detail. Look closely at the pitch change links on the rotor head, the -58D rotor spins at an ungodly rate, with those peppered PCL's there was no way they could of flown back, the centrifigual force would of bent them as their strength became compromised due to shrapnel damage. Your friend may have been mistaken, there has been -58D's that have sustained onboard injuries/casualties, it wasn't this bird though.

I saw this aircraft in its current state 4 days after the fact, and got the information first hand by those who witnessed it.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, January 28, 2005 4:54 AM
That's the great thing about this forum. With the wide variety of backgrounds of the members, we seem to always eventually get the straight info.

mscottholt,
Thanks for setting the story straight! I must admit I was wondering how in the hell the pitch link and tail rotor drive shaft stayed together considering the damage, if it was in fact in flight.
  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 9:33 AM
The 58 that wouldn't die.

The guy who said that the aircraft was hit in parking by an artillery tube fired rocket was correct. All of the damage incurred happened to the aircraft while it was in parking.

How do I Know? I owned it!
  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Aaaaah.... Alpha Apaches... A beautiful thing!
Posted by Cobrahistorian on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 10:53 AM
WOW!

I certainly am grateful for this forum.

Mtway, glad you weren't in it!

Scott, Thanks for setting the story straight!
"1-6 is in hot"
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