Captain Bennett was urged by the pilot of an escorting OV-10 to eject. The wing was in danger of exploding. He then learned that fragments in the explosion had shredded his observer’s parachute
On June 29, 1972, Captain Steven L. Bennett, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) forward air controller (FAC), was piloting an OV-10 Bronco on an artillery adjustment mission near Quang Tri City in South Vietnam. In the rear seat of the lightly armed reconnaissance aircraft was a Marine gunfire spotter.
According to the Air Force Historical Support Division, after spending about three hours directing gunfire from U.S. Navy ships offshore and coordinating air strikes on enemy positions, Captain Bennett received an urgent distress call. A small South Vietnamese unit was on the verge of being attacked by a far larger enemy force. Without rapid intervention, the unit would almost certainly be overrun. However, no friendly fighter aircraft remained in the area, and any naval gunfire support would have put the South Vietnamese troops at risk, since they were positioned between the coastline and the enemy.
Captain Bennett chose to strafe the advancing troops. Because they were North Vietnamese regulars armed with heat-seeking SA-7 surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), carrying out a low-altitude attack involved significant danger. Nevertheless, Captain Bennett dived toward them and fired his four light machine guns. The enemy soldiers broke formation and began to retreat under his repeated strafing runs.
As the twin-boom Bronco pulled up from its fifth attack run, a missile streaked up from behind and hit the aircraft’s left engine. The blast ignited the engine and jarred the left landing gear out of its bay, leaving it dangling. Shrapnel tore through the canopies above both airmen. Captain Bennett turned south, searching for a field where he could make an emergency landing. As the engine fire continued to spread, the pilot of an accompanying OV-10 urged him to eject, warning that the wing could explode at any moment. Bennett then discovered that fragments from the explosion had ripped apart his observer’s parachute.
Captain Bennett chose to ditch the aircraft in the Gulf of Tonkin, fully aware that the cockpit area would almost certainly break apart on impact. No pilot had ever survived ditching an OV-10 in the water. When the aircraft hit the surface, the extended landing gear dug into the sea, causing the Bronco to yaw left and flip forward, plunging nose-first into the water. His Marine observer managed to get free, but Captain Bennett, trapped in the crushed cockpit, went down with the aircraft. His body was recovered the following day. In recognition of his self-sacrifice, Captain Bennett was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Vice President Gerald R. Ford presented the medal to his widow on August 8, 1974.
The legendary OV-10 Bronco
The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco was a tough, highly maneuverable, twin-turboprop aircraft designed for multiple missions and flown by both the U.S. Air Force and Marine Corps (as the OV-10A). The U.S. Navy also operated the type. The Bronco was quicker and offered more tactical flexibility than helicopters, yet it was slower and more agile than jets, allowing it to employ tactics that neither helicopters nor jets could effectively use.
In combat, the Bronco’s capability to locate and strike targets on the battlefield in close proximity to friendly forces made it highly effective against both regular and guerrilla troops. It was especially well-suited for missions including anti-guerrilla operations, escorting helicopters, providing close air support, conducting armed reconnaissance, and performing forward air control.
The Bronco’s fuselage was attached beneath the wing and arranged in tandem to seat both the pilot and the observer. Its canopy offered superior visibility compared with most helicopters. Boeing notes that each crew member was provided with an LW-3B ejection seat capable of ejection at zero airspeed and zero altitude. For operations in hostile conditions, the aircraft was equipped with armor protection, a bullet-resistant windshield, and self-sealing fuel tanks. Its twin engines, dual manual flight controls, and sturdy, straightforward construction further enhanced its survivability and safety.
The OV-10 carried seven external hardpoints for weapons and featured four 7.62 mm guns mounted in its sponsons. In addition to 2,000 rounds of ammunition, it could employ a wide range of conventional munitions.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
