[doorgunner69]

That happened to me riding as a gunner on a CH-46. Pilot tried to land tail in at the field hospital on Signal Hill at LZ Stud. Fairyl small landing pad. First helo from our flight was already down, unloading wounded. We had six KIA on board as the second AC and only needed to get them unloaded.

Pilot got too close with rear rotors as hovered and the touched. Dunno what it looked like happening from outside, but it tore off the whole upper tail section of our ship and we fell several feet.

After they lugged it back to Quang Tri:

[Dagnabitt]

Wow. I can’t imagine.

I was an Army pilot in a much easier time (85-90). Worst damage I ever did was while hovering an AH-1f cobra at a farm in Germany. Blew over the farmer’s motorcycle (he got paid a few hundred marks in “maneuver damage” compensation)