| Date: 22 November 1969 |
| Aircraft type: A-6A Intruder |
| Serial Number: 155607 |
| Military Unit: VA-196 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Ranger |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Cdr Richard Frank Collins (KIA) |
| Lt Cdr Michael Edward Quinn (KIA) |
| VA-196 lost another Intruder on the same day when an aircraft failed to return from a night armed reconnaissance mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The crew (call sign Milestone 507) were using the aircraft’s airborne moving target indicator radar to locate trucks on the Trail and were being followed by another Intruder, which had been delayed by technical problems, and was about 25 miles behind. The crew of the second aircraft saw a huge fireball estimated to be near the village of Ban Tampanko, about 25 miles southwest of Khe Sanh. Attempts to raise Lt Cdr Collins on the radio met with no response and it was presumed that the Intruder had crashed. A subsequent search revealed no trace of the aircraft or its crew. |
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