| Date: 3 May 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4E Phantom |
| Serial Number: 69-7221 |
| Military Unit: 25 TFS, 8 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Ubon |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Timothy Robert Ayres (POW) |
| 1Lt Theodore S Sienicki (POW) |
| A Wolf FAC Phantom (call sign Musket) was lost during a raid just north of the DMZ. The aircraft was controlling a strike on a SAM site four miles north of Thon Cam Son when it was shot down by ground fire. The aircraft broke up immediately forcing the crew to eject. Both men were soon captured and sent to Hanoi from where they were released on 28 March 1973 during Operation Homecoming. This crew normally flew the F-4D but was allocated an E-model at short notice, which probably reduced their competence on this mission. Also the strike force was late in taking off giving the North Vietnamese more time for preparation. Capt Ayres had flown over 460 missions in Southeast Asia (most of them as an O-2 FAC pilot based at Quang Ngai) while Ted Sienicki had flown 55 missions up to the point he was shot down. Timothy Ayres retired from the Air Force and went to fly for a major airline. |
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