Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
16 May 1965
A-1E Skyraider 52-133901 34 TG, USAF, Bien Hoa
B-57B Canberra 52-1568, 53-3867, 53-3871, 53-3873, 53-3893, 53-3904, 53-3913, 53-3915, 53-3930, 53-3937 8/13 TBS, 405 FW attached to 34 TG, USAF, Bien Hoa
F-8E Crusader 150931 VF-162, USN, USS Oriskany
At 08:15 on Sunday morning, 16 May, Capt C N Fox and his navigator, Capt V L Haynes, were sitting in their B-57B at Bien Hoa about to start engines to lead a flight of four aircraft on a strike. Fox’s Canberra was loaded with four 750lb bombs under the wings and nine 500lb bombs in the bomb bay. Without warning Fox’s aircraft exploded and debris hit other aircraft on the flight line causing further explosions in what seemed to be a chain reaction. When the smoke cleared the scene was one of utter devastation with dead, dying and wounded airmen and wrecked aircraft everywhere. A complete J65 engine was hurled half a mile and smaller fragments were found at twice that distance from the flight line. The only man from Capt Fox’s flight of four aircraft to survive was navigator Lt Barry Knowles. He and his pilot Capt Kea had had to abort the sortie due to a malfunction and were walking away from the aircraft when the explosion occured. Kea was killed by flying shrapnel but Knowles was knocked over and injured by the blast and was rescued by SMSgt L E Adamson, the maintenance line chief. In addition to Fox, Haynes and Kea, the other Canberra crewmen killed were Maj Underwood, Capt Shannon, Capt Jepson and 1Lt Wagner. As well as the 10 B-57s that were destroyed, a US Navy F-8E, a USAF A-1E and two VNAF A-1Hs were also completely wrecked. The F-8E had diverted to Bien Hoa just minutes before the explosion after it developed a fuel leak while on a close air support mission over South Vietnam. The Crusader pilot was Maj R G Bell, a USAF exchange officer with the Oriskany’s VF-162, who was also killed in the explosion. A total of 30 VNAF A-1s received some degree of damage as did a USAF HH-43 helicopter. The remnants of the 8th and 13th TBSs immediately set up shop at Tan Son Nhut and continued operations as best they could but it was some time before the squadrons could function normally again.
The 27 USAF men who died were: SSgt Jesse Rodriquez Acosta, SSgt Jose Ruben Aragon, TSgt Secundino Baldonado, Maj Robert Graham Bell, SSgt Brian Dale Brown, TSgt Claude Marvin Bunch, SSgt James Martin Cale, SSgt Robert Lewis Clark, A1C William Thomas Crawford, SSgt Edgar Stoms Donaghy, A1C Terence Dean Engel, TSgt Aaron Gregor Fidiam, Capt Charles Nathan Fox, Capt Vernon Lee Haynes, SMS William Donald Hicks, SSgt David Lee Hubbard, Capt Arthur C Jepson, Capt Andrew Millard Kea, Capt Ernest McFeron, TSgt Charles William Rachal, A1C Clifford H Raulerson, TSgt Donald Joseph Seaman, Capt Billy Eugene Shannon, TSgt Gerald Allison Snyder, Maj James Edward Underwood, 1Lt Lee Celin Wagner, and A1C Hayden Edward Weaver.
This was the worst single incident suffered by the USAF on the ground during the entire war and was only eclipsed by the terrible fires on board the USS Oriskany and Forrestal. Twice as many aircraft were lost in the accidental explosion at Bien Hoa than had been destroyed by Viet Cong attacks on aircraft on the ground in the war up to that date. The cause of the explosion was thought to have been a malfunction on a time-delay fuse on one of the bombs carried by Capt Fox’s aircraft.
19 November 1965
F-100D Super Sabre 56-3125 3 TFW, USAF, Bien Hoa
While parked in its revetment at Bien Hoa having a new engine fitted an F-100 caught fire and burnt out after the ground crew tried to start the engine with a cartridge rather than an APU as normal. An open fuel line spilt fuel which soon ignited and most of the aircraft was destroyed in the ensuing fire.
5 May 1966
A-4C Skyhawk 147808 VMA-311, MAG-12, USMC, Chu Lai
The use of heavy lift helicopters like the CH-47, CH-53 and CH-54 to recover downed aircraft from otherwise inaccessible locations saved the US taxpayers millions of dollars. Unfortunately things didn’t always go according to plan. A US Army CH-54 was airlifting a Marine Corps Skyhawk back to Chu Lai but was forced to jettison it, probably because the load became unstable or because the helicopter came under fire.
17 June 1966
U-10B Courier 63-13104 5 ACS, 14 ACW, USAF, Nha Trang
A Courier was accidentally dropped from a heavy lift helicopter as it was being recovered from a forced landing.
20 June 1966
A-4E Skyhawk 151201 MAG-12, USMC, Chu Lai
A Marine Corps Skyhawk was destroyed by fire on the ground when the hose from a refuelling vehicle ruptured and the fuel ignited.
26 October 1966
A-4E Skyhawk 151075 VA-163, USN, USS Oriskany
On 26 October the Oriskany’s tour of duty off Southeast Asia was cut tragicically short by a disastrous fire, the first of two such incidents to plague the carriers on Yankee Station. The fire broke out at 7:15 on the morning of the 26th on the hangar deck of the ship. Six A-1s and seven A-4s were on the deck having been readied for a night strike but bad weather postponed the launch. The ordnance on the aircraft had to be downloaded and stored until morning. The ordnance included several Mk24 Model 3 magnesium parachute flares. The flares were taken down to the forward hangar deck for stowing in a temporary flare storage compartment. The flares were being moved into the store by hand when one of the flares ignited due to mishandling. Flames and toxic fumes rapidly spread to other parts of the ship. The heat set off ordnance on the hangar deck as it was being prepared for an air strike. About 350 bombs had to be thrown overboard to avert further explosions. It was not until noon that the last of the fires had been put out. A total of 36 officers and eight enlisted men died in the fire including 24 aviators. One of the dead airmen was the Oriskany’s CAG, Cdr Rodney B Carter, who was temporarily replaced by Cdr Dick Bellinger. At least four VA-163 pilots and several from VF-162 also died in the fire. One Skyhawk was destroyed and three others were badly damaged and two Seasprite helicopters were also destroyed. The Oriskany fire is well recorded in several books, notably Zalin Grant’s Over the Beach. The ship sailed back to the USA for a lengthy refit and did not leave her homeport again until 16 June 1967.
18 February 1967
RC-47P Skytrain 43-49679 362 TRS, 460 TRW, USAF, Pleiku
The first of the RC-47 radio intelligence aircraft to be lost in Southeast Asia was destroyed at its parking spot at Tan Son Nhut by a China Airline Curtiss C-46 that suffered a brake failure when landing and ground looped into a revetment. No one on either aircraft was injured.
29 July 1967
A-4E Skyhawk 149996, 150064, 150068, 150084, 150115, 150118, 150129, 152018, 152024, 152036, 152040
F-4B Phantom 153046, 153054, 153060, 153061, 153066, 153069, 153912
RA-5C Vigilante 148932, 149284, 149305 RVAH-11
One of the greatest tragedies of the war in Southeast Asia occurred as the result of a simple electrical malfunction. The Atlantic Fleet carrier USS Forrestal had left Norfolk, Virginia on 6 June after a major refit and was assigned to TF 77 on 8 July. After working up in the South China Sea, the Forrestal took up her position at Yankee Station on 25 July for her combat debut off Vietnam. Four days later, after flying just 150 combat sorties, she was limping away from Vietnam towards Subic Bay in the Philippines for temporary repairs before returning to Norfolk, Virginia on 14 September for a major refurbishment.
On the morning of 29 July as a launch was under way, a stray voltage ignited a Zuni rocket pod suspended under F-4B 153061. One of the rockets fired and zoomed across the deck to hit a Skyhawk’s fuel tank, causing a chain reaction of explosions and fire on the flight deck. The Skyhawk pilot, Lt(jg) D Dollarhide, was incredibly fortunate to escape and be rescued by his plane captain. The aircraft on the deck were soon well ablaze, the fire fed by over 40,000 gallons of aviation fuel together with bombs and other ordnance. Bombs detonated blowing holes in the armoured deck through which fell burning fuel and ordnance that set fire to six lower decks. After the inferno was eventually brought under control the next day a total of 134 men were dead, 62 more injured and 21 aircraft destroyed with another 34 damaged. Many of the dead were pilots who were trapped in their ready rooms below the hangar deck. Sixteen of the 20 men who jumped or were blown into the sea were rescued. This represented the worst loss of life in the history of carrier aviation outside of World War II and was one of the most tragic incidents of the entire war.
The Forrestal never returned to the war in Southeast Asia. It eventually returned to Fleet service after a seven month, $72 million dollar refit that included rebuilding much of the aft end of the ship. The ship became a training carrier in February 1992 but was decommissioned on 10 September 1993 and is currently stored at Newport, Rhode Island, pending plans for preservation. Eighteen months after the Forrestal fire a similar accident happened to the Enterprise as it worked up off Hawaii in preparation for a return to Southeast Asia. The ship caught fire on 14 January 1969 when a Zuni rocket on a Phantom ignited causing a series of explosions on the flight deck that killed 28 men and destroyed 15 aircraft.
6 August 1967
F-4C Phantom 63-7639 390 TFS, 366 TFW, USAF, Da Nang
Maj D R Conway (survived)
1Lt F W Dahl (survived)
O-1F Bird Dog 57-2825
O-1E Bird Dog 56-2536, 56-2672
O-2A 67-21317, 67-21322
20 TASS, 504 TASG, USAF, Da Nang
A flight of Phantoms from Da Nang was despatched on a night road reconnaissance mission near the Mu Gia Pass when it encountered several trucks. Maj Conway made one pass over the target and then came round for a second run but his aircraft was hit by AAA. The Phantom remained airworthy and the crew nursed their crippled aircraft all the way back to Da Nang where Maj Conway made a crash landing. Unfortunately the aircraft veered off the runway and hit a line of parked FAC aircraft belonging to the 20th TASS. Three O-1s and two of the new O-2s were destroyed by impact damage and fire fed by fuel from the Phantom. Although the crew of the Phantom escaped unharmed the aircraft was so badly damaged by the flak and the subsequent crash landing that it had to be scrapped.
28 August 1968
A-1E Skyraider 52-135139 56 SOW, USAF, Nakhon Phanom
A Skyraider was damaged when it landed at a forward strip in Laos. The aircraft was moved to a revetment so that repairs could take place but the aircraft fell from trestles and was so badly damaged that the repairs were abandoned and the aircraft scrapped.
27 November 1968
A-4E Skyhawk 150111 MAG-12, USMC, Chu Lai
A Skyhawk was destroyed at Chu Lai when it jumped its chocks and smashed into a building near the fuelpits.
2 December 1968
B-52D Stratofortress 55-0115 367 BS, 306 BW attached to 4252 SW, USAF, Kadena
The 306th BW lost another B-52 at Kadena when an aircraft burnt out in a ground fire accident prior to an Arc Light mission.
16 May 1969
U-10B Courier 66-14372 14 SOW, USAF, Bien Hoa
A U-10 was being recovered by a heavy lift helicopter, probably from a forced landing near an airfield, when the aircraft fell from the sling and was damaged beyond repair.
22 August 1969
O-1E Bird Dog 56-2663 unit unknown, USAF, base unknown
A Bird Dog was being retrieved by an Army CH-47 Chinook heavy lift helicopter when it dropped from the sling and was destroyed.
7 November 1969
O-2A Skymaster 68-10852 probably 20 TASS, 504 TASG, USAF, Da Nang
An O-2 was being airlifted to Da Nang for repairs under an Army CH-47 Chinook when it fell from the sling and was destroyed. This was the third such incident of this kind since May although this must be balanced by the many hundreds of aircraft and helicopters that were successfully retrieved by heavy lift helicopters during the war.
9 June 1970
C-7B Caribou 63-9724 459 TAS, 483 TAW, USAF, Phu Cat
A C-7 Caribou was being airlifted by a CH-54 Skycrane helicopter when it fell from the sling and was destroyed. Sometime in May the aircraft had run off the end of the runway as it was landing at a strip at Tra Bong, 25 miles northwest of Quang Ngai city. None of the crew was injured in the crash and it was decided to airlift the Caribou out for repair. The propellers and outboard wing sections were removed before the airlift was attempted. The Caribou was one of the largest aircraft that could be lifted by heavy lift helicopters but unfortunately on this occasion the sling snapped and the aircraft fell to the ground breaking in two. By the time 63-9724 was finally destroyed the 459th TAS had been inactivated, leaving five Caribou squadrons in Southeast Asia.
2 September 1970
F-4B Phantom 150446 VMFA-115, MAG-13, USMC, Chu Lai
In a tragic ground accident VMFA-115 lost one of its aircraft and three ground crew. A Phantom had just been taxied to the fuel pits when for some reason its fuel tanks were jettisoned. The area soon became an inferno and the aircraft exploded killing three ground crew and injuring several more. Apparently the fire spread rapidly when the fire extinguisher available failed to work properly. This was the last aircraft lost during Marine Corps operations from Chu Lai. In accordance with the general withdrawal of American units from South Vietnam the last unit, VMFA-122, left Chu Lai on 8 September and the base was handed over to the US Army’s Americal Division.
3 May 1973
EB-66E Destroyer 54-0445 42 TEWS, 388 TFW, USAF, Korat
An EB-66E was undergoing maintenance at Korat when an accident almost cost the life of a ground engineer. The aircraft was having its engines run at full power when it suddenly moved forward and ran over the leg of TSgt William E Tompkins. The aircraft soon came to a stop in about 70 feet after it knocked down a concrete pole. TSgt Tompkins’s leg was severed just six inches below his hip joint, but first aid administered by his colleague Sgt Lords before the medics arrived almost certainly saved his life. As the EB-66 was being phased out at this time, 54-0445 was written off and consigned to the fire dump for training. This was the 17th and last B-66 variant to be lost in Southeast Asia during the war. Four of the aircraft had been lost to SAMs, one to a MiG, one to an unknown cause, and the remaining eleven in accidents.
|
US AIR FORCE ACCIDENTAL AIRCRAFT LOSSES ON THE GROUND |
|||||||||||
|
|
A-1 |
B-52 |
B-57 |
C-7 |
F-100 |
O-1 |
O-2 |
RC-47 |
U-10 |
EB-66 |
Total |
|
1965 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
|
1966 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
1967 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
1968 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
1969 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
1970 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
1973 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
Totals |
2 |
1 |
10 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
26 |
|
US NAVY/MARINE CORPS ACCIDENTAL LOSSES ON THE GROUND AND ABOARD SHIP |
|||||
|
|
A-4 |
F-4 |
F-8 |
RA-5C |
Totals |
|
1965 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
|
1966 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
|
1967 |
11 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
21 |
|
1968 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
1969 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1970 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
Totals |
15 |
8 |
1 |
3 |
27 |
© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All rights reserved.