| Date: 30 September 1968 |
| Aircraft type: F-105F Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 63-8317 |
| Military Unit: 333 TFS, 355 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Clifford Wayne Fieszel (KIA) |
| Maj Howard Horton Smith (KIA) |
| A Wild Weasel was lost during a strike on a SAM site near Phu Qui, five miles west of Dong Hoi. The aircraft (call sign Bison) was hit by 37mm AAA as it rolled in on the target. Capt Fieszel’s wingman had been hit earlier and was heading out to sea and so did not see what happened to his leader. The F-105F went down in the vicinity of the target and an emergency beeper was heard for 24 hours after the aircraft crashed. The next day Radio Hanoi reported that two aircraft had been shot down, although in fact only one had actually been lost on the raid, and that one of the pilots had been captured. Nothing more was heard about Capt Fieszel or Maj Smith and they were presumed dead after the end of the war. 63-8317 had been painted as ‘Half Fast’ when serving with the 13th TFS and was later nicknamed ‘Root Pack Rat’. The aircraft was credited with a MiG-17 kill on 19 December 1967. |
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