ON THIS day in 1968, an Iroquois of the RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam crashed in enemy occupied territory in Vietnam. Lieutenant J.M. Leak, Lieutenant A.H. Craig, (and Leading Air Mechanic A. Green, , were injured when a lateral cyclic control rod broke (possibly due to gunfire), sending their helicopter into an uncontrolled spiral dive.
It came out of the dive just above the jungle canopy but, still out of control, it crashed through the trees coming to rest in a more or less level position.
The injured crew extracted themselves from the wreck with the engine of the aircraft screaming and unable to be shut down. After spending some time alone in enemy occupied territory they were later winched to safety by a RAAF MEDEVAC helicopter and taken to the 1st Australian Field Hospital at Vung Tau, later being evacuated to Australia.
