Bailout Aftermath

On 1 May 73, I was forced to bailout while returning from a mission. The engine disintegrated internally and seized. As the oil flowed back over the fuselage, fire erupted, mandating an expeditious escape. The aircraft was not equipped with the Yankee Extraction System as were not most of those in the Khmer AF, but there was sufficient altitude to safely perform a manual bailout. The wrecked fuselage was recovered and can be seen here at left center along with parts from many damaged aircraft. (Click on fuselage for a magnified view.)

The aircraft impacted in a moderate to low threat area so recovery of the engine, fuselage and weapons was possible. The engine was sent back to the U.S. for teardown and analysis but I never heard the result. The R-1820 was normally very reliable and failures were rare.

Shortly after gear retraction during takeoff on one mission, smoke filled the cockpit. A fire in the aft fuselage was being fed by hydraulic fluid escaping under pressure directly on the inverters. After pulling up for an immediate closed pattern, I opened the canopy to regain some visibility (which intensified the fire probably). I completed a normal landing from a very tight overhead pattern. The fire gutted the aft fuselage and destroyed much of the electrical equipment. Fortunately, no fuel was involved. Many parts of this aircraft survived and lived on in other examples.