| Date: 1 April 1968 |
| Aircraft type: O-2A Skymaster |
| Serial Number: 67-21406 |
| Military Unit: 23 TASS, 504 TASG |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Nakhon Phanom |
| Name(s): |
| Maj Gerald T Dwyer (Survived) |
| TSgt B C Cote (Survived) |
| The 23rd TASS lost another O-2 within four days of losing an aircraft on the 29th March. Again the crew escaped with their lives thereby proving that it was possible to escape from the O-2 in the right circumstances. Maj Dwyer’s aircraft (call sign Nail 55) was damaged by ground fire during a daylight FAC mission over southern Laos. As with Lt Colonel Johnson’s aircraft on the 29th, it was the aft engine that was put out of action. Maj Dwyer flew the aircraft on its one remaining engine but he and his observer had to abandon the aircraft about 25 miles southeast of Nakhon Phanom. The hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia severely reduced the single-engine performance of some aircraft types to the point where the aircraft could not remain airborne for long on just one engine. Maj Dwyer was shot down a second time over Laos on 21 May 1968. Maj Dwyer and TSgt Cote were rescued on 1 April by a HH-3E from Detachment 1 of the 40th ARRS which had been activated on 18 March at Nakhon Phanom with the Squadron headquarters at Udorn. The newly-formed unit would help relieve some of the SAR burden from the 37th and 38th ARRS. |
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