| Date: 17 February 1968 |
| Aircraft type: OP-2E Neptune |
| Serial Number: 131486 |
| Military Unit: VO-67 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: Nakhon Phanom |
| Name(s): |
| Cdr Glenn Miller Hayden (KIA) |
| Lt Curtis Frank Thurman (KIA) |
| Lt(jg) James Stephen Kravitz (KIA) |
| Ens James Charles Wonn (KIA) |
| ATN1 Paul Nicholas Donato (KIA) |
| AO2 Clayborn Willis Ashby (KIA) |
| ADJ2 Chester Leroy Coons (KIA) |
| AN Frank Arthur Dawson (KIA) |
| AN James Edward Martin (KIA) |
| VO-67 lost its second aircraft and crew on 17 February. Cdr Glenn Hayden and his crew took off from Nakhon Phanom on a sensor delivery mission over southern Laos. The aircraft (call sign Lindy 12) started its first delivery run to drop sensors near Ban Namm, 30 miles west of the DMZ. As it completed the first run, Cdr Hayden radioed to his fighter escort that the aircraft had been hit by small arms fire but that he would continue with the second run as there appeared to be no serious damage. As the Neptune was dropping its next load of sensors the pilot of the escorting fighter saw the Neptune’s starboard engine burst into flames. Cdr Hayden aborted the run and turned towards Nakhon Phanom. The fighter escort climbed through a low overcast to wait for the Neptune but it never appeared so the fighter descended back through the clouds to search for the aircraft. An area of burning wreckage was seen on the side of a ridge about two miles northwest of the village of Muang Phine. There was no sign of any survivors so it was presumed that all on board had perished in the crash. In 1993 a team of investigators recovered the remains of the crew and brought them home to the USA. |
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