| Date: 17 August 1968 |
| Aircraft type: F-4B Phantom |
| Serial Number: 151404 |
| Military Unit: VF-142 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Constellation |
| Name(s): |
| Lt(jg) Markham Ligon Gartley (POW) |
| Lt William John Mayhew (POW) |
| A flight of Phantoms on a CAP mission engaged a number of MiG-21s about 20 miles northwest of Vinh. Lt Gartley started a split-S manoeuvre at 10,000 feet just as his flight leader fired a Sidewinder missile. The Sidewinder missed its intended victim and instead guided towards the heat signature of Gartley’s Phantom (call sign Dakota 206). The missile hit the Phantom’s tail and the aircraft’s port engine caught fire. The hydraulics soon failed and with the aircraft out of control, the crew ejected but were both captured. Lt Gartley was one of three men released into the hands of US peace activists on 25 September 1972 while Lt Mayhew served the full term and was released on 14 March 1973. |
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