Vietnam Conflict AC-47D Spooky Gunship Aircrew Losses

December 17, 1965	December 24, 1965	March 9, 1966	March 13, 1966	May 15, 1966	June 3, 1966	January 8, 1967
March 28, 1967	April 26, 1967	October 2, 1967	February 14, 1968	May 4, 1968	May 4, 1968	September 1, 1969

Date: December 17, 1965
Assigned: 4th ACS - Tan Son Nhut AB
Acft: S/N 43-49492
Location:

The first AC-47 gunships arrived in Vietnam during November 1965. Their guns had been removed in
order to lighten the aircraft for the trans-Pacific flight. The guns would not arrive until a month later.
In the meantime the aircraft were put to work on courier and cargo flights. The 4th Air Commando
Squadron (ACS) lost their first aircraft, AC-47D serial number 43-49492, on a courier flight between Tan
Son Nhut and Phan Rang on 17 Dec 1965. The aircraft was struck by ground fire and crashed into a mountain
16-1/2 miles South-Southeast of Phan Rang. The wreckage was located on 23 Dec and the bodies of the nine men
on board the aircraft, four 4th ACS flight crew members and five passengers, were recovered.
The passengers on board the aircraft were assigned to the 12th CE Sqdn, 12th TAC Ftr Wing, 13th AF and
12th Supply Sqdn, 12th TAC Ftr Wing, 13th AF

NAME	RANK	AGE	HOME OF RECORD	MARITAL STATUS	STATUS	WALL PANEL
Robert William Abbot (Pilot)	Maj	45	Buffalo, NY	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 19
Robert Lloyd Abernathy (Copilot)	Maj	37	Fredericktown, MO	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 19
Francis Richard Buckley (Navigator)	1Lt	26	Monrovia, CA	single	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 20
Claude Wesley Mathews (Flt Eng)	A1C	25	Clayton, NJ	single	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 21

Joseph A. Cestaric (passenger) 12th Civil Eng Sqdn	MSgt	47	Midland, PA	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 21
John Monroe Chappell (passenger) 12th Civil Eng Sqdn	TSgt	36	St Louis, MO	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 20
Ralph Leon Hinson (passenger) 12th Supply Sqdn	SSgt	30	Macon, GA	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 21
Johnson Ashley Meade (passenger) 12th Civil Eng Sqdn	A1C	24	Dover Foxcroft, ME	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 21
Thomas Newton Sloan (passenger) 12th Civil Eng Sqdn	TSgt	28	Minneapolis, MN	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 20
Ralph Leon Hinson (passenger) 12th Supply Sqdn	SSgt	30	Macon, GA	married	KIA	Panel 04E - Line 21

Date: December 24, 1965
Assigned: 4th ACS - Danang AB
Acft: S/N 45-1120
Location: Laos, Day Mission
Call Sign: Spooky 21

The following information is posted on numerous websites.

On December 24,1965, at 0728 hours, an AC47D gunship, call sign "Spooky 21," departed DaNang Airfield, South Vietnam on an armed reconnaissance/strike mission over the panhandle of Laos. They were to monitor enemy activity moving through this region known to contain several arteries of the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail. The crew consisted of Lt. Col. Derrell B. Jeffords, pilot, then Capt. Dennis L. Eilers, co-pilot, Maj. Joseph Christiano, navigator, TSgt. W. Kevin Colwell, flight engineer, MSgt. Larry C. Thornton and SSgt. Arden "A. K." Hassenger both aerial gunners. The planned flight path was from DaNang to the target and back to DaNang. The gunship was due to return to base at approximately 1330 hours.

Weather conditions in the target area included scattered clouds at 500 feet with variable heights to the top of the clouds; 10,000-foot high-scattered patches of ground fog, and stratus clouds that descended into the jungle covered valleys. To the west of the target area, the ceiling of cloud cover was only 1,500 feet high.

Spooky 21 was directed by the airborne command and control aircraft to its primary target located approximately 32 miles northeast of Saravane City. As the gunship made its way westward, it was diverted to a second location 18 miles east-northeast of Saravane. Shortly before contact was lost with the gunship at 1050 hours, one of the crew broadcast, "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, Spooky 21" over the UHF emergency frequency. The aircrews of two separate aircraft who were also operating in this sector heard the gunship's final radio transmission.

At 1448 hours, an extensive search and rescue (SAR) operation was initiated. During the entire search effort, SAR aircraft were subjected to intense enemy ground fire emanating from the jungle below. The search was terminated at 1500 hours on 26 December when no trace of the aircraft or crew was found. At the conclusion of the search, military personnel determined the aircraft was downed by enemy action and weather conditions played no part in its loss. At 1530 hours on Christmas Eve 1965, Kevin Colwell, Joseph Christiano, A. K. Hassenger, Dennis Eilers, Larry Thornton and Derrell Jeffords were declared Missing in Action.

The last known location of Spooky 21 was over the rugged and densely forested mountains that were laced with a well-established network of roads and trails of various sizes running in all directions. It was also located approximately 6 miles west-southwest of Ban Solou, 7 miles south of Un Tai, 18 miles east-northeast of Saravane and 36 miles west of the Lao/South Vietnam border, Saravane Province, Laos

NAME	RANK	AGE	HOME OF RECORD	MARITAL STATUS	STATUS	WALL PANEL
Derrell Blackburn Jeffords (Pilot)	Maj	41	Phoenix, AZ	married	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 37
Dennis Lee Eilers (Copilot)	1Lt	28	Cedar Rapids, IA	single	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 37
Joseph Christiano (Navigator)	Maj	44	Rochester, NY	married	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 36
Larry C Thornton (Aerial Gunner)	MSgt	34	Idaho Falls, ID	married	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 38
William Kevin Colwell (Flight Engineer)	TSgt	45	Glen Cove, NY	married	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 36
Arden Keith Hassenger (Aerial Gunner)	SSgt	30	Lebanon, OR	married	MIA	Panel 04E - Line 37

Date: March 9, 1966
Assigned: 4th ACS - Danang AB
Acft: S/N 44-76290
Location: Thua Thien, South Vietnam
Call Sign: Spooky 70

On 9 March 1966, Capt. Willard M. Collins, pilot; Lt. Delbert R. Peterson, co-pilot; Capt. Jerry L. Meek, navigator; SSgt. John G. Brown, flight engineer; SSgt. James Turner, Jr., aerial gunner and SSgt. Robert E. Foster, aerial gunner; comprised the crew of a C47 gunship, call sign "Spooky 70," that departed DaNang Airfield on a close air support mission for the A Shau Special Forces Camp, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam. At 1300 hours, when the gunship was approximately 2 miles south of the Special Forces camp, Capt. Collins initiated a left hand turn to position the aircraft for a firing pass. At the same time the enemy opened up with anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire and hit the C47 several times in the right engine. Capt. Collins feathered the #1 engine and notified the crew they "were going in." After they crash landed, the crew got out, surveyed the damage and collected their survival equipment and weapons. SSgt. Foster was injured in the crash and Lt. Peterson began first aid on him. At the same time Capt. Collins began working the survival radio. Capt. Meek loaded all the M16s and set up a perimeter defense outside the aircraft. About 10 minutes later, Capt. Meek was shot and wounded by a Viet Cong (VC) guerrilla who was closing on the downed aircraft. The pilot of an L19 Bird Dog Forward Air Controller (FAC) aircraft spotted the aircraft and crew through the dense jungle and called in A1 Skyraiders to provide air cover for the downed aircrew. Capt. Meek told Lt. Peterson they needed a sentry at the rear of the airplane because it was a blind spot. Delbert Peterson put on his survival vest and crawled around past the tail into the undergrowth with his M16. Before the Skyraiders could make a pass, the right side of the C47 was raked with enemy machine gun fire killing SSgt. Foster outright and mortally wounding Capt. Collins. Capt. Meek called out to Lt. Peterson and SSgt. Brown. John Brown acknowledged he was all right, but there was no response from Delbert Peterson. At approximately 1520 hours, search and rescue helicopters arrived on site and made a circular pass over the crash site. While one descended to a ground hover approximately 25 feet away from the nose of the C47, the other remained overhead. Capt. Meek ordered SSgt. Brown to make a run for the helicopter. SSgt. Turner, who had been on the inside of the aircraft, kicked the remnants of the emergency exit door out of the right side. John Brown, James Turner and Jerry Meek all made it to the rescue helicopter at the same time. As it lifted off the ground, the crew and passengers searched the area around the C47 for Delbert Peterson, but none saw any trace of him. About 20 minutes after the three crewmen were rescued, a Special Forces ground team arrived at the crash site. They found the bodies of Capt. Collins and SSgt. Foster where they had fallen near their aircraft. However, during their search, which included the area in and around where the co-pilot was last seen, they could find no sign of Lt. Peterson. Further, they found blood spots or blood trails leading away from the crash site. Because of the heavy enemy presence in the area, the Special Forces team was unable to bring the bodies of Willard Collins and Robert Foster out with them. Willard Collins and Robert Foster were immediately listed Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered. Because there was a strong probability Delbert Peterson was captured, he was listed Missing in Action. The location of loss placed the gunship 10 kilometers north of the A Shau Valley and 2 miles south of the Special Forces Camp they were to provide air support for.

NAME	RANK	AGE	HOME OF RECORD	MARITAL STATUS	STATUS	WALL PANEL
Willard Marion Collins (Pilot)	Capt	37	Quincy, IL	married	MIA	Panel 05E - Line 131
Delbert Ray Peterson (Copilot)	1Lt	26	Maple Plain, MN	single	MIA	Panel 05E - Line 133
Robert Eugene Foster (Aerial Gunner)	Sgt	38	Lockport, NY	married	MIA	Panel 05E - Line 132

Date: March 13, 1966
Assigned: 4th ACS - Danang AB
Acft: S/N 43-49268
Location: Quang Nam, South Vietnam
Call Sign: Spooky 73

On 9 Mar 1966, Captain Howard W. Henninger(pilot), Capt Robert E. Pasekoff(co-pilot), Capt Gerald E. Olson(Navigator),TSgt Edwin E. Morgan(Loadmaster), SSgt Gene E. Davis(Flight Engineer), SSgt Marshall I. Pauley(Aerial Gunner) and Sgt Dean A. Duvall(Aerial Gunner),comprised the crew of "Spooky 73" an AC-47D gunship. They departed DaNang Airbase at 0300 hrs on an armed reconnaissance mission along route 92 that ran through dense jungle covered mountains of Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. The mission was scheduled to last 3 hours and weather conditions were good, with a moonlit night and scattered to broken clouds. Approximately 22 minutes after takeoff, Spooky 73 established radio contact with a standard comm check. When Spooky 73 failed to return to base as scheduled, a ramp check of all bases that an AC-47D could have diverted to was made. At 0800 hrs the aircraft was declared overdue and an initial SAR was initiated. At 0740 hrs on 14 Mar 66, full SAR operations using AE-1 and HE-16B aircraft combed the dense jungle and mountains along route 92 and the briefed flight path of Spooky 73. The SAR was terminated at 1430 hrs with no sighting of the aircraft or crew. SAR operations continued on 15 Mar 66. Beeper signals were heard by rescue personnel, however, the signals were not coded and were too short in duration to be pinpointed. SAR efforts were then terminated at 1730 hrs and the crew was declared MIA.

June 26, 2015 Update

The remains of an Airman were returned to his hometown on Thursday, June 25, 2015, nearly 50 years after he went missing in action during the Vietnam War.
Chief Master Sergeant Edwin E Morgan Sr was pronounced missing in action on March 13, 1966, after his plane carrying seven men flew to Laos for a reconnaissance mission and never returned. He was 38 years old.
It took U.S. officials until 1997 to locate the crash scene, and only recently were Morgan's remains identified so that they could be sent back to his family.
That day of closure finally came on Thursday, when the casket carrying Morgan's remains landed at the Charlotte, North Carolina airport just after noon.
'It�s good. This is what we�ve been hoping for so it�s a big celebration,' Morgan's daughter Frances Morris, who was just 6 years old when her father went missing, told WSOC-TV. 'I always prayed he'd get to come home. This isn�t the homecoming I thought of but he's still home.'
From the airport, a motorcade of more than 100 motorcyclists with the Patriot Guard accompanied the hearse carrying Morgan's remains as it made the hour-long journey back to the Airman's hometown of Rockwell.
Along the way, American flags lined the streets and hundreds gathered on the sidewalks to salute the hearse as it passed.
While on the interstate, firefighters also hung a giant American flag to welcome the hearse as it passed underneath an overpass.
On Friday, Morgan's son and daughter will welcome family and friends to a visitation service, followed by a full military funeral on Saturday in which he will finally be laid to rest next to his wife.
*********************************************
U.S. teams first started looking for the wreckage of the crash site in 1992 and 1996, but were initially unsuccessful.
But with the help of the Laos government, they were eventually able to locate the crash site in the Xekong Province on February 9, 1997.
Almost exactly 13 years after finding the crash site, U.S. teams returned and surveyed the site, recovering remains and equipment.
Between 2010 and 2014, they continued to excavate the crash and scientists used dental records to identify Morgan's remains.

NAME	RANK	AGE	HOME OF RECORD	MARITAL STATUS	STATUS	WALL PANEL
Howard William Henninger (pilot)	Capt	33	Hanford, CA	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 3
Robert Edward Pasekoff (copilot)	Capt	36	Pittsburgh, PA	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 4
Gerald Everett Olson (navigator)	Capt	29	Winter Haven, FL	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 4
Gene Edmond Davis (flt eng)	SSgt	38	Evansville, IN	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 5
Edwin Everton Morgan (loadmaster)	TSgt	39	Salisbury, NC	married	KIA	Panel 06E - Line 4
Marshall Irvin Pauley (gunner)	SSgt	25	Milton, WV	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 5
Dean Arnold Duvall (gunner)	Sgt	21	Monticello, IN	married	MIA	Panel 06E - Line 3

Date: May 15, 1966
Assigned: 4th ACS - Ubon
Acft: S/N 43-49546
Location: Laos
Call Sign: Spooky 10

On 15 May 1966 an AC-47 gunship, call sign SPOOKY 10 (tail number 43-49546), departed Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance flight in central Laos. At 1745 hours SPOOKY 10 established radio contact with the airborne command and control aircraft giving their status and position. The pilot transmitted again at 2100 hours, stating situation normal, but giving no position. There was no further radio contact with the aircraft and it did not return to base as scheduled. An aerial search began at first light on 16 May and continued throughout the day. No signs of SPOOKY 10 or its crew were located. The 8 Americans and the 2 ARVN aboard Spooky 10 were listed Missing in Action on termination of formal search efforts. On 7 June an intercepted Pathet Lao radio broadcast described an American C-47 aircraft shot down over Laos on 15 May by a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery unit, PAVN Group 559. The report indicated all crewmen were killed.

The following information was derived from the website:

Task Force Omega website.

Additional information can be found at:

National Alliance website.

On 7 June, some three weeks after the AC47D disappeared without a trace, a Pathet Lao radio broadcast was intercepted by US intelligence that described an American aircraft shot down over Central or Southern Laos and included in its list a reference to a C47 that had been shot down by a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) unit, PAVN Group 559, on 15 May. The report indicated all 10 crewmen were killed.

On 3 and 4 August 1994, a senior representative of the Vietnamese Office For Seeking Missing Persons (VNOSMP) had a chance encounter while in Saigon with a retired member of the People's Army of (North) Vietnam (PAVN), also known as North Vietnamese Army (NVA). The retired soldier related personal knowledge of a May 1966 crash of an American C47 in Laos that killed 10 crewman. This information was substantiated by a review of PAVN Group 559 records.

On 3-4 August 1994, a team from Joint Task Force for Full Accounting (JTFFA) traveled to Khammouan Province, Laos to investigate a reported crash site believed to be that of Spooky 10. As the team surveyed the area, they found aircraft wreckage and several aircrew-related items. Between 15 January 1995 and 1 September 1996, several JTFFA teams returned to this location to excavate the crash site and "the three burial pits where the bodies of 10 or 11 men" were reportedly placed. The team found only a single-person burial pit. They found no trace of either reported multiple-person gravesites in or around the area.

During the 6 excavations, the teams recovered wreckage consistant with an AC47D. Additionally, one size 10 jungle boot, a single dogtag bearing the name of James Preston and a metal Captain's bar from a flight suit that was correlated to Marshal Tapp, the only Captain assigned to this flight. The team found and excavated the gravesite recovering 22 teeth or tooth fragments, 16 of which showed restorations. When the site was closed on 1 September 1996, the human remains were consolidated and transported to the Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii (CIL-HI) for examination.

In May 1999, US Air Force Mortuary Affairs presented each family with a highly inconclusive briefing book outlining the findings of CIL-HI's identification of the 22 teeth/tooth fragments and 23 small bone fragments. The CIL-HI report specified "the 22 teeth/tooth fragments matched the antemortem dental records and radiographs for Major Jensen to the exclusion of the other crewmen" involved in the incident and were positively identified as his.

Despite the inconclusive results of the group identification and the lack of finding mass graves during the excavations, a forced group burial took place in Arlington National Cemetery on 13 December 1999. When questioned about their feelings about the group burial, Lavern Reilly's brother stated, "authorities just want to close the case. Military officials didn't identify each individual, but declared the men identified and accounted for despite a lack of dental records and DNA evidence." James Preston's daughter added, "They're going to have the ceremony whether we go or not."

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

George William Jensen (pilot) Maj 41 Seattle, WA married KIA Panel 07E - Line 61

Marshall Landis Tapp (copilot) Capt 40 Los Angeles, CA married MIA Panel 07E - Line 63

George Winton Thompson (Navigator) 1Lt 26 Beckley, WV single MIA Panel 07E - Line 63

James Arthur Preston (loadmaster) SSgt 27 Bowdon, GA married MIA Panel 07E - Line 62

James Ellis Williams (Flt Eng) Sgt 27 Oxford, MS single MIA Panel 07E - Line 63

William Louis Madison (gunner) Sgt 31 Lexington, KY married MIA Panel 07E - Line 62

Kenneth Dewey McKenney (gunner) A1C 21 Auburn, MA single MIA Panel 07E - Line 62

Lavern George Reilly (observer, spare pilot)
377th Cmbt Spt Group Maj 40 St Paul, MN married MIA Panel 07E - Line 62

Date: June 3, 1966
Assigned: 4th ACS - Ubon
Acft: S/N 43-48925
Location: Laos
Call Sign: ...

The 4th Air Commando Squadron, based at Nha Trang, SVN, maintained a detachment at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand, in order to allow operations along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos. On 3 June 1966 one of the Ubon gunships, AC-47 tail number 43-48925, departed on a night armed reconnaissance mission along the Trail. At about 9:25 PM the AC-47 was operating under FAC control along Route 912 some 20 miles southwest of the Ban Karai Pass, a major entry point from NVN into Laos. About 10 miles east of the town of Ban Pha Philang, as the gunship was firing on a target, it burst into flames. The AC-47 pilot ordered his crew to bail out from the aircraft, a radio call heard by the controlling FAC. Shortly after the bail-out call, the FAC pilot saw the AC-47 roll into a steep descent and crash. The FAC reported he saw no ground fire directed at the AC-47, saw no parachutes, and heard no emergency radio beepers. Although search and rescue forces located the wreckage, there was no sign of the aircrew. The six men were classed as Missing in Action.
On 13 January 1979, the crews' status was changed from "Missing in Action" to "Died while Missing", a presumptive finding of death.

Their remains, recovered in 1995, were too small to postitively identify with any one person. Forensic anthropologists concluded after extensive study of the remains and other evidence that the remains were from all 5 crewmen. They were buried as a group on November 5th 2004 at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Theodore Eugene Kryszak (Pilot) Capt 34 Buffalo, NY married KIA Panel 08E - Line 3

Russell Dean Martin (Copilot) 1Lt 29 Bloomfield, IA married KIA Panel 08E - Line 4

Harding Eugene Smith (Navigator) Maj 48 Los Gatos, CA married KIA Panel 08E - Line 5

Harold Eugene Mullins (Flight Engineer) TSgt 36 Denver, CO married KIA Panel 08E - Line 4

Luther Lee Rose (Aerial Gunner) TSgt 31 Howe, TX married KIA Panel 08E - Line 2

Ervin Warren (Aerial Gunner) SSgt 30 Philadelphia, PA married KIA Panel 08E - Line 5

Date: January 8, 1967
Assigned: 4th ACS - Nha Trang AB, RVN, Detached to Danang AB, RVN
Acft: S/N 43-49124
Location: Near Duc Pho
Call Sign: ...

The 4th Air Commando Squadron, based at Nha Trang, RVN, maintained a detachment at Danang Airbase to provide support
in "I" Corp.
On January 8, 1967 a Nha Trang Airbase 4th Air Commando Squadron AC-47D Spooky gunship, temporarily assigned to Danang
Airbase, RVN, was shot down by ground fire with the loss of all seven crew members. The aircraft and crew were providing
support for a special forces camp near Duc Pho, about 30 miles south of Quang Ngai when the aircraft was struck by ground
fire. Fire erupted in the aircraft, the aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed, killing all seven aircrew members.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Charles William Robertson, (Pilot) Capt 34 Malden, MA married KIA Panel 14E - Line 2

James Donald Goodman, (Copilot) 1Lt 26 Little Rock, AR married KIA Panel 13E - Line 131

Joseph E Wilkinson, (Navigator) Maj 37 Selma, AL single KIA Panel 14E - Line 4

Raymond Medina, (Loadmaster) SSgt 27 San Antonio, TX married KIA Panel 14E - Line 1

Cecil Truman Thompson, (Flight Engineer) SSgt 31 Sabetha, KS married KIA Panel 14E - Line 2

Dana Richard Kelley, (Aerial Gunner) A1C 25 San Carlos, CA married KIA Panel 13E - Line 130

Lonny Leroy Mitzel, (Aerial Gunner) A2C 23 Red Lion, PA married KIA Panel 14E - Line 1

Date: March 28, 1967
Assigned: 4th ACS, 14th ACW - Nha Trang AB, RVN, Detached to Danang AB, RVN
Acft: S/N 44-76534
Location: Near Hoi An
Call Sign: ...

The 4th Air Commando Squadron, based at Nha Trang Airbase, RVN, maintained a detachment at Danang Airbase, RVN
for gunship support in I Corp areas.
On March 28, 1967, the USAF lost it's fourth AC-47D aircraft during 1967. The gunship was flying in defense of an outpost near Hoi An,
approximately 10 miles south of Danang.
The aircraft arrived over the outpost and was starting it's orbit when it was hit by intense automatic weapons fire.
The aircraft crashed a few miles from the outpost with the loss of all 7 aircrew members.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

William Hadley Hosea (Pilot) Capt 30 Acton, IN married KIA Panel 17E - Line 67

Herbert Charles Rice (Copilot) Capt 32 Hamburg, NY married KIA Panel 17E - Line 69

John Bishop Cabana Jr (Navigator) Capt 27 New Castle, NH married KIA Panel 17E - Line 66

John Larue Brim (Loadmaster) SSgt 24 Princess Anne, VA married KIA Panel 17E - Line 66

James Lewis Fields (Flight Engineer) SSgt 34 Mobile, AL married KIA Panel 17E - Line 67

Guy Joseph Brungard (Aerial Gunner) TSgt 35 Haines City, FL married KIA Panel 17E - Line 66

Robert Edwin Ruonavaara (Aerial Gunner) A1C 23 Healdsburg, CA married KIA Panel 17E - Line 69

Date: April 26, 1967
Assigned: 4th ACS - Tan Son Nhut AB
Acft: S/N 43-48921
Location: Off the coast near Cam Rahn Bay
Call Sign: ...

Two sources provide the following information.
From the Joe Baugher Vietnam Air Losses book: The AC-47D Spooky gunship was on a flare mission, flying a normal orbit off the coast of near Cam Rahn Bay when it was observed to crash into the sea and explode. All on board were killed. Cause of crash undetermined.
Aviation Safety Network website states: AC-47D gunship was orbiting off the coast of Cam Ranh, dropping flares. Dove into the sea following onboard flare explosion. Source of flare explosion comment has no reference stated.
All 7 flight crew members on board were killed.
************************************
Additional information posted on the Virtual Wall page for Maj Bruce Williams:
Air International had overhauled and modified the aircraft under an Air Force contract in 1966,
replacing both elevators and removing, repairing and replacing the wings.
The work was done in Florida. The craft was assigned to Vietnam duty on January 13, 1967, and, after the crash, some three months later,
investigation indicated that the right elevator had failed, and that its failure had caused the
right wing to separate from the aircraft.
Originally, it was believed the aircraft went down due to a flare exploding inside the aircraft.
The posted comments do not quote a source for the accident information with respect to the structural failure.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Burnett Neal Maj 37 Dallas, TX married KIA Panel 18E - Line 96

Bruce R Williams Maj 37 Detroit, MI married KIA Panel 18E - Line 99

Clifford C Barnett 1Lt 29 Hobart, IN married KIA Panel 18E - Line 90

Frederick Edward Barnette SSgt 39 Clifton Forge, VA married KIA Panel 18E - Line 90

Robert Wendell Davis SSgt 31 Oklahoma city, OK married KIA Panel 18E - Line 92

Thomas Alfred Preaux SSgt 39 Ceco, IA married KIA Panel 18E - Row 97

Michael Jeff Stephens A1C 21 New York NY single KIA Panel 18E - Row 98

Date: October 2, 1967
Assigned: 4th ACS - Phu Cat AB
Acft: S/N 43-48591
Location: Hue City
Call Sign: ...

On October 2, 1967, a United States Air Force AC-47D (#43-48591) �Spooky� gunship from the 4th Air Commando Squadron,
14th Air Commando Wing, 7th Air Force based at Phu Cat Air Base, was shot down by AAA fire during a daylight mission. The
location where the aircraft was hit was given in a U.S. official document as being over the DMZ, however, it crashed near
Hue city, Thua Thien Province, 40 miles to the south. All seven aircrew members on board perished. The lost crewmen included
pilot LTC Van H. Newville, co-pilot CAPT Arthur R. Coughlin, navigator MAJ William W. Duck, flight engineer MSGT Charles J. Rogiers,
loadmaster TSGT James C. Krouse, and aerial gunners A2C William W. Scoville and A2C Walter C. Wright. Their remains were not
recovered until over three weeks later. The October 1967 Command Chronologies for India Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines,
indicate that India Company was dispatched to recover the remains and equipment from the crash site. They reported finding the
wreckage on October 28th. There were no signs of Viet Cong activity in the recovery area. They removed human remains, and salvaged
three mini-guns and four M16 rifles. I Company carried the bodies and all possible equipment away from the crash site. What they
were unable take with them was destroyed in place using thermite grenades and explosives.

My name is Donald Luke. I served with the 4th SOS as Danang Airbase, Republic of Vietnam during November 1968 through November 1969.
During 1993 our family moved to Tucson, AZ due to a job transfer. We were very active in Boy Scouts and joined Troop 211. As I
got to know the adults in the troop, I met an assistant scoutmaster, Bob Smith, a former U. S. Marine and a Vietnam Veteran. While
talking we realized we had been at Danang at the same time although on opposite sides of the base. We exchanged information about
what we had done there and as we were talking about the AC-47 Spooky gunships I worked on, I happened to say "Spooky" as our Scoutmaster
Van Newville walked by. When he heard "Spooky" he stopped and asked if I was talking about the "Spooky" that flew in Vietnam. I said
yes and explained my duties with the 4th SOS. He then said his dad, Van Newville, was a pilot on an AC-47 that was shot down with all
crew killed on October 2, 1967. I was at a loss for words. He continued on and told us how his dad used to write home and say how
proud he was flying the old gunship providing support for ground troops. We talked some more and would many more times.
Van and his family moved to New Mexico and I lost touch with him.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Van Harold Newville (Pilot) Lt Col 48 Phoenix, AZ married KIA Panel 27E - Row 46

Arthur Raymond Coughlin (Copilot) Capt 41 Mobile, AL married KIA Panel 27E - Row 43

William Whitby Duck (Navigator) Maj 31 Quincy, FL married KIA Panel 27E - Row 43

Charles Joseph Rogiers (Flight Engineer) MSgt 37 Rock Island, IL married KIA Panel 27E - Row 46

James Charles Krouse (Loadmaster) TSgt 36 North Highlands, CA single KIA Panel 27E - Row 44

William Ward Scoville (Aerial Gunner) A2C 20 Clark Lake, MI single KIA Panel 27E - Row 46

Walter Clarence Wright (Aerial Gunner) A2C 19 Las Vegas, NV single KIA Panel 27E - Row 46

Date: February 14, 1968
Assigned: 14th ACS - Phan Rang AB
Acft: S/N 43-49859
Location: 5 miles south of Phan Rang Air Base
Call Sign: ...

On February 14, 1968, a USAF AC-47D "Spooky" gunship from the 14th Air Commando Squadron departed
Phan Rang Airbase RVN on a close air support mission. Just five miles south of Phan Rang airbase the
aircraft was shot down with the loss of all eight aircrew members and one Marine observer on board.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Karl Merritt Waldron Jr (Pilot) Lt Col 47 Minneapolis, MN married KIA Panel 39E - Row 55

Edward Beeding Quill Jr (Copilot) Capt 33 San Francisco, CA married KIA Panel 39E - Row 52

Thomas Joseph Margle (Navigator) Capt 31 New Philadelphia, PA married KIA Panel 39E - Row 50

Warren Mitchell Dixon (Flight Engineer) SSgt 23 Catlettsburg, KY married KIA Panel 39E - Row 50

Robert Kiyoshi Kawamura (Loadmaster) SSgt 28 Santa Clara, CA married KIA Panel 39E - Row 49

Roger Gail Lee (Loadmaster) SSgt 20 Hinton, OK single KIA Panel 39E - Row 49

James Harvey Bennett (Aerial Gunner) Sgt 24 Cynthiana, KY single KIA Panel 39E - Row 50

Brent Tosh (Aerial Gunner) Sgt 22 Cocoa, FL married KIA Panel 39E - Row 54

Russell J. Fauser Jr (Observer) Cpl (Marine Corp) 19 Long Beach, NY married KIA Panel 39E - Row 46

On the night of 4/5 May the VC and NVA started a widespread offensive, called Mini Tet by the Americans, which involved attacks on 109 towns and cities in South Vietnam resulting in major casualties on both sides. Two Spooky gunships were scrambled to attack rocket and mortar launching sites that were bombarding Pleiku air base. The two gunships were shot down by automatic weapons fire within minutes of each other. Sgt Nacey Kent, the flight engineer in one of the AC-47s was awarded the AFC for his efforts in re-entering the aircraft wreckage and rescuing a number of the crew from his aircraft despite having sustained a broken leg in the crash landing"

Survivors from aircraft 44-76207, Spooky 33 were:
Sgt Kirby Wilson, Loadmaster
Sgt Nacey Kent, Flight Engineer
SSgt Allan Bryant, Gunner
A2C Bernie Ducat, Gunner
Col .. Allen, Navigator
Unidentified Army Warrant Officer.

Date: May 4, 1968
Assigned: 4th ACS - Phu Cat AB
Acft: S/N 44-76207 (Some sources list 43-76207)
Location:
Call Sign: Spooky 33

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Donald Lweis Merry (pilot) Capt 39 Pass-A-Grill, FL married KIA Panel 55E - Row 23

Richard William Wackerfuss (copilot) Maj 36 St Paul, MN married KIA Panel 55E - Row 33

Edward Chester Krawczyk (2nd navigator) Capt 41 Warren, RI married KIA Panel 55E - Row 20

Date: May 4, 1968
Assigned: 4th ACS - Pleiku AB
Acft: S/N 43-16159
Location:
Call Sign: Spooky 22

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Leslie Earl Harris Jr (Copilot) Lt Col 44 Chattanoga, TN married KIA Panel 55E - Row 16

Teddy James Tomchesson (Navigator) Maj 38 Marlin, TX married KIA Panel 55E - Row 33

Barry Lynn Brown (Pilot) Capt 25 Dowell, IL married KIA Panel 55E - Row 4

James Edgar Bowman (Loadmaster) SSgt 34 Jonesboro, TN married KIA Panel 55E - Row 3

Douglas Joseph Cradeur (Aerial Gunner) Sgt 20 Sulphur, LA single KIA Panel 55E - Row 9

Roy Leo Lede (Flight Engineer) Sgt 20 San Francisco, CA single KIA Panel 55E - Row 20

Date: September 1, 1969
Assigned: 4th SOS - Bien Hoa AB
Acft: S/N 43-49021
Location: Long Khanh Province
Call Sign: Spooky ??

On 1 September 1969, while on a night patrol a "SPOOKY" Gunship out of Bien Hoa Air Base was directed to assist friendly troops who were under attack from enemy forces about 20 miles east of Bien Hoa. The gunship arrived at the scene and rendered support by flares and from its three 7.62 mini-guns firing down on the enemy. While engaging the enemy in the target area, their gunship was struck along the starboard side by enemy fire. They crashed into a mountain in Long Khanh province while attempting recovery at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam. All crew members aboard lost their lives.
This was the last AC-47 USAF "SPOOKY" gunship lost in South East Asia during the war.

NAME RANK AGE HOME OF RECORD MARITAL STATUS STATUS WALL PANEL

Robert Paul Acher, Jr., (Pilot) Capt 27 Greensburg, IN married KIA Panel 18W - Row 18

Roy Colon Williams Jr, (Copilot) 1Lt 26 Eagle Springs, NC married KIA Panel 18W - Row 22

James Sutherland Pitches, (Navigator) Capt 32 Yonkers, NY married KIA Panel 18W - Row 21

Harry Herr Wecker, (Flight Engineer) MSgt 36 Harrisburg, PA married KIA Panel 18W - Row 22

Albert Carl McBride, (Flight Engineer) TSgt 36 Leadville, CO married KIA Panel 18W - Row 20

Lester Melvin Cavallin, (Loadmaster) TSgt 33 Tacoma, WA married KIA Panel 18W - Row 19

William Warnie Alley, (Aerial Gunner) TSgt 34 Richlands, VA married KIA Panel 18W - Row 18

Fred Winston Smith, (Aerial Gunner) SSgt 38 Savanna, GA married KIA Panel 18W - Row 21

-->

Click On Display Image To Enlarge. Use Backspace Key To Return

Home Page

History

Aircraft

People

Bases

MIA/KIA

Photographs

Memorabilia

Website Links

AC-47D Gunships Website � Donald Luke
Photos for personal use only. All rights reserved by original owner of image.
Reproduction or redistribution in any form without express written permission is prohibited.

Last updated 12/11/19

To contact web site creator, send email to oerm2133 "@" aol "." com (remove quotation marks) .