Incident Overview
An AC-130A gunship was operating on a nighttime reconnaissance flight to check for enemy truck traffic. The crew observed a convoy and was preparing to attack when the aircraft was struck by two rounds of 37 mm anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) near Ban Tabok, 32 km southwest of the A Shau Valley, at an altitude of 6,500 feet.
Hydraulic Failure and Emergency Landing
The strikes caused a hydraulic system failure. The flight crew lost the ability to use elevator trim, rudder control, and autopilot. The pilot compensated by using differential engine power to navigate the aircraft to Ubon for an emergency landing. Prior to landing, several crew members were ordered to bail out.
Crash and Fire
The Hercules crash-landed, skidding off the runway. Upon striking the barrier cable housing near the end of the runway, a wing was torn off, and the aircraft burst into flames.