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From: Chuck Grice
Date: 06 Apr 2000
Time: 01:20:13
Remote Name: 206.173.191.25
Something to get the Avn board started....
I think it was about 6PM when the rockets started flying...but don't quote me on that. This happened during 70-71.
A huey was prepping to take off from one of the revetments near the avionics shop. Somehow, two rockets were triggered while the huey was still on the ground in the revetment. The rocket from the right pod hit the wall and ended up burning itself out harmlessly. No such luck with the left one. It hit high on the wall and forced itself through the top. The fins got knocked off so it ended up skipping down the flightline. The maintenence crew working in the hangar saw it go by, bouncing along the ground. The ammo dump sat at the end of the flightline (BIG MISTAKE in hindsight!) BOOM! The explosions sent munitions flying around the compound. (Now this next part may be legend.) The only thing they found of the guard were a few fingertips....turns out the guy that was supposed to be there swapped with a buddy so he could partake of his girlfriends pleasures in downtown Can Tho. He wondered what happened, but had hell to pay when he was resurrected the next morning at the main gate. There was this BIG forlift in the dump. From one side it looked perfect. On the side to the blast it looked like termites had eaten half of it. Avionics, I think Sgt. Bastin, had worked on the cyclic stick to repair a radio problem the previous night. He was sweating it out...thought some wires may have been crossed in the repair. Turned out his job was good and the WO must have popped in the breakers and keyed the rockets instead of the radio. One of the many good guy disasters....