| Date: 29 December 1967 |
| Aircraft type: C-130E-I Hercules |
| Serial Number: 64-0547 |
| Military Unit: Detachment 1, 314 TAW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Nha Trang |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Edwin Nelms Osborne (KIA) |
| Capt Gerald Gordon Van Buren (KIA) |
| Maj Charles Peter Claxton (KIA) |
| Maj Donald Ellis Fisher (KIA) |
| Capt Frank Claveloux Parker (KIA) |
| Capt Gordon James Wenaas (KIA) |
| TSgt Jack McCrary (KIA) |
| SSgt Wayne Alvin Eckley (KIA) |
| SSgt Gean Preston Clapper (KIA) |
| A1C Edward Joseph Darcy (KIA) |
| A1C James Randall Williams (KIA) |
| Shortly after midnight on the 28th a Combat Talon C-130E-I, flown by crew S-01, took off from Nha Trang and headed at low-level towards Hanoi on a special operations mission. The aircraft was to make a leaflet drop west of the city followed by a diversionary resupply drop in the Song Da Valley in North Vietnam. Diversionary drops were sometimes made by the Combat Talon aircraft in an attempt to fool the enemy into thinking that a clandestine team was working in a particular area. The aircraft made a radio transmission about four hours later indicating that the leaflet drop had been accomplished and that the mission was progressing normally. After that message there was no further radio contact and the aircraft was posted as missing on the morning of the 29th. It was presumed that the aircraft had either been shot down by ground fire over North Vietnam or had flown into the ground as it was en route to its resupply drop at low-level in the dark. A two-week search along the aircraft’s planned route failed to reveal any sightings of wreckage. Investigations at the crash site in mountains in the Lau Chau province of North Vietnam in 1992 and 1993 failed to provide conclusive evidence or human remains. The aircraft had crashed about 32 miles northeast of Dien Bien Phu and the site had already been scavenged by villagers. However a subsequent investigation did discover some scant remains and these were later buried in a communal grave in Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the whole crew. The wreckage was found just below the summit of a high karst cliff indicating that the aircraft had probably flown into high ground as it was returning from its mission. |
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