| Date: 21 October 1968 |
| Aircraft type: A-4E Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 151160 |
| Military Unit: VA-106 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Intrepid |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Kenneth Keith Knabb (KIA) |
| A section of Skyhawks found a truck on a road in the hills about 20 miles south of Ha Tinh during a strike mission. Lt Knabb started a strafing run at the truck from about 6,500 feet but his aircraft (call sign Beachhead 217) was then seen to explode as it hit the ground. A partially deployed parachute was seen lying close to the wreck but there was no sign of Lt Knabb. By the time a rescue helicopter arrived the parachute had been spread out on the ground in a perfect circle indicating either that Lt Knabb was trying to attract his rescuers’ attention or that the North Vietnamese were using the parachute as a lure to trap the helicopter. The cause of the aircraft’s loss was never determined and Lt Knabb was presumed to have been killed in the incident. This Skyhawk was the last aircraft to be lost before the end of the Intrepid’s third and final tour of duty in Southeast Asia. The ship returned to Norfolk, Virginia, on 8 February 1969 and was decommissioned on 15 March 1974. The carrier has been moored in New York Harbour since 1982 as a floating museum. |
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