| Date: 21 December 1972 |
| Aircraft type: B-52D Stratofortress |
| Serial Number: 56-0669 |
| Military Unit: 306 BW attached to 43 SW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Andersen AFB, Guam |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Vincent Russo (Survived) |
| Maj Frank Alton Gould (KIA) |
| Capt James Farmer (Survived) |
| Capt Lawrence A Casazza (Survived) |
| 1Lt Harmon Deverl Johnson (Survived) |
| 1 crew, name unknown (Survived) |
| It was becoming apparent to SAC planners during the course of the raids that the B-52Gs with unmodified ECM equipment were faring particularly badly even when flying in their tight cell formation for mutual protection. In an attempt to reduce further losses two cells of B-52Gs from the second wave on 20th/21st were recalled while on their way to the target. Other unmodified B-52Gs had to continue, as their recall would have broken up force integrity and reduced the bomb tonnage on particular targets to an unacceptably low level. The second wave hit the Thai Nguyen thermal power plant and the Bac Giang railway yard and suffered no losses.
One of the targets on the third wave was Gia Lam railway repair shops just east of Hanoi, which was attacked by three cells. Straw cell was engaged by at least 18 SAMs as it made its way towards Hanoi. Straw 2 was hit by a SAM and badly damaged shortly after it started its post-target turn. Two engines caught fire and the electrical power failed but the crew managed to fly southwest towards Thailand. However, the crew was unable to transfer fuel from one side of the aircraft to the other and it became difficult to control. Thirty minutes after it was hit and just after the aircraft crossed into Laos the aircraft became uncontrollable and the crew abandoned the B-52 about 10 miles northeast of the Ban Ban Valley. All the crew survived and were rescued by two USAF HH-53Cs from the 40th ARRS with the exception of the radar navigator, Maj Frank Gould, who was injured when the SAM struck the Stratofortress and was not thought to have escaped from the aircraft. However, conflicting information exists that suggests that Maj Gould did escape and may have been captured. Several live sightings of Maj Gould in Laos were claimed in the early 1990s together with other information from Laotian villagers giving fresh but ultimately false hope to his family. This was the first B-52D from Andersen to be shot down during the Linebacker raids. The crew were on detachment from the 306th BW at McCoy AFB, Florida. |
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