| Date: 24 July 1968 |
| Aircraft type: F-4D Phantom |
| Serial Number: 66-7703 |
| Military Unit: 497 TFS, 8 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Ubon |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Timothy O Gill (Survived) |
| 1Lt R G Pierce (Survived) |
| Aircraft type: F-4D Phantom |
| Serial Number: 66-7682 |
| Military Unit: 497 TFS, 8 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Ubon |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Harley Benjamin Hackett (KIA) |
| 1Lt John Robert Bush (KIA) |
| The Night Owls of the 497th TFS had a bad night on the 24th. A flight of two Phantoms took off from Ubon on an armed reconnaissance of the southern provinces of North Vietnam, but neither returned. The aircraft attacked road traffic on a road south of Mu Ron Ma but Capt Gill’s (call sign Oreo 1) aircraft was hit by ground fire and badly damaged. Capt Hackett vectored his leader’s aircraft out over the water in an attempt to reach Da Nang. As Capt Gill headed south, the crew of a Navy aircraft saw a flash on the surface of the sea about 15 miles from the coast. This was later presumed to be Capt Hackett’s aircraft, which apparently crashed into the sea without either he or his WSO being able to escape. Meanwhile Capt Gill and 1Lt Pierce were trying to reach Da Nang. However, as the aircraft approached the airfield from the north the crew were forced to eject and landed safely in Da Nang Bay. Capt Gill was rescued by a USAF HH-43B helicopter and 1Lt Pierce was picked up by a US Navy vessel. |
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