On 9 April, Hambleton's eighth day of evading PAVN forces all around him, FAC Harold Icke on Bilk 11 kept in constant contact with Hambleton. Icke directed Sandy 01 to drop a Madden survival pack containing food, water, ammunition and extra radios to Hambleton, but it fell away, slightly above him, and he was too weak to climb up to it. Icke and the pilots of two A-1 Skyraiders were shocked to see Hambleton come out his hiding place and stand in the open on a sandbar in the river, waving a white flag at them above. Icke knew Hambleton's mental and physical health were precarious. Unknown to him, Hambleton was considerably weakened, having lost in the 10 days since his jet had been shot down.
