| Date: 26 June 1967 |
| Aircraft type: F-4C Phantom |
| Serial Number: 63-7577 |
| Military Unit: 390 TFS, 366 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Maj J C Blandford (Survived) |
| 1Lt J M Jarvis (Survived) |
| Maj Blandford and 1Lt Jarvis were ferrying an unarmed F-4C (call sign Gunfighter 6) from Clark AFB in the Philippines to Da Nang (after annual maintenance) when they were intercepted by Chinese Air Force Shenyang J-5s (MiG-17) about 25 miles off the southern tip of Hainan island. Why their route between Clark and Da Nang would have taken them so near to Chinese airspace is unclear although it has been suggested that the Phantom crew were misled into flying towards Chinese airspace by being sent false signals from Hainan. Badly damaged by cannon fire from the MiGs, the crew ejected at an altitude of about 25,000 feet and were rescued by a US Navy helicopter before they could be reached by the Chinese Navy, thereby avoiding an embarassing international incident. This Phantom was itself a MiG-killer having been flown by Maj R G Dilger and 1Lt M Thies when they shot down a MiG-17 on 1 May 1967. |
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