The C-130 transport plane, loaded down with 40,000 pounds of ammunition, was about 50 miles from Da Nang when it took numerous hits to the left wing. Air Force Capt. John Nelson immediately shut down engine No. 1. But then engine No. 2 caught fire, and he was forced to shut that one down, too. Sheer terror hit.
“Just like with any accident, when things happen so fast, it seems like it’s already over before you know it,” he said. “After the left wing got shot off, I shifted to survival mode and was just trying to save the people on board and the aircraft if I could. I did not have time to be scared.
“We had seven people on board and only five parachutes, so jumping was not an option. My only goal was to land safely on ground that wasn’t in enemy territory,” he said. “We basically skidded down a 2,500-foot runway with two engines on fire while parts of the wing fell off.”
