| Date: 6 August 1965 |
| Aircraft type: B-57B Canberra |
| Serial Number: 53-3919 |
| Military Unit: 8/13 TBS, 405 FW attached to 6252 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Larry J Horacek (Survived) |
| 1Lt F William Johnson (Survived) |
| During a daytime strike near the coastal city of Nha Trang Capt Horacek’s B-57 sustained severe damage from ground fire. The aircraft was barely controllable but was still carrying its bombs so Capt Horacek pointed it out to sea and he and 1Lt Johnson ejected as the aircraft crossed the shore line. The crew were picked up from the sea by helicopter but the B-57 then started to make a gentle turn to the left. Realising that the aircraft was turning towards Nha Trang, Capt Horacek’s wingman positioned himself behind the stricken Canberra and attempted to shoot it down before it could reach land. Unfortunately, the guns on the B-57 were calibrated for ground strafing and not for air-to-air attack and the attempt failed. As the wingman broke away for fear of his rounds hitting Nha Trang, the pilotless B-57 continued its descent and crashed in the heart of the city killing 14 Vietnamese and injuring 75 others. The death toll could have been even higher but for the fact that only four of the aircraft’s 16 bombs exploded on impact. Capt Horacek was shot down again on 17 April 1966. |
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