Approximately 50 miles south of NKP, USAF personnel (including TLCB member Jim Harrod)
manned a radar site (Callsign Viking) just west of the Thai city of Mukdahan. On 15 April 1967,
monsoon thunderstorms completely covered the Mekong River basin. Four O-1Fs on missions
over Steel Tiger diverted to Mukdahan because NKP's metal runway was too dangerous in heavy
rain and gusty crosswinds. I was Nail 59 in the second flight and had to find the airfield with
little more map information than a dot representing the airfield. The Viking Controllers couldn't
paint our O-1s on their radar because of our small radar signature and the fact that we were flying
under thunderstorms. They told us to fly down the river until we reached Savannahkhet, Laos on the
east side, then turn west and look for a lake and a big green field. Beneath the clouds, few colors were visible, but we found the lake, then landed on the upsloping green field. We refueled and returned to NKP a couple
of hours later. I sent a letter of appreciation to the commander of Det. 6, 621st Tactical Control Squadron, and the following article appeared a couple of weeks later in the NKP News.
Article in the NKP
News
Late April or Early
May 1967
Tactical
Controllers Insure Safe Landing
Action on the part of personnel assigned to Det. 6, 621st
Tactical Control Squadron at Mukdahan recently insured a safe landing for two
O-1F aircraft during hazardous weather conditions.
The Nakhon Phanom RTAFB runway was being swept by wind and
rain when the two "Crickets" were told that they could not land here
and were advised to contact the air controller.
One of the O-1Fs was low on fuel and had to land.
AIC Clemons, radar monitor on duty at
"Viking",' advised the two pilots that bad weather was also moving in
on their position and told them to look for a large grass field after passing a
village.
By this time the bad weather had closed in on Mukdahan and
visibility was almost at zero. The rain made the runway less than desirable, but
there was no alternative for the O-1Fs.
The landing was rough and muddy, but successful, and by
this time, Nail 59 had used almost all its fuel.
Thanks to the efforts of the air controllers, the two
"Crickets" landed safely, and soon were headed back home.