| Date: 1 September 1969 |
| Aircraft type: AC-47D Gunship I |
| Serial Number: 43-49021 |
| Military Unit: 4 SOS, 14 SOW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Nha Trang detached to Bien Hoa |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Robert Paul Acher (KIA) |
| Capt James Sutherland Pitches (KIA) |
| 1Lt Ray Colon Williams (KIA) |
| MSgt Harry Herr Wecker (KIA) |
| TSgt Willie Warnie Alley (KIA) |
| TSgt Lester Melvin Cavallin (KIA) |
| TSgt Albert Carl McBride (KIA) |
| SSgt Fred Winston Smith (KIA) |
| A Spooky gunship on a night patrol was directed to assist friendly troops who were under attack from enemy forces about 20 miles east of Bien Hoa. The aircraft (call sign Spooky 7) arrived at the scene and started firing but it was hit in the starboard wing by ground fire and the aircraft crashed in Long Khanh province. This was the last USAF Spooky lost during the war. The 3rd SOS was inactivated on this day and its aircraft passed on to the VNAF, and the 4th SOS followed suit by the end of the year. A total of 19 AC-47s had been lost during four years of service with the USAF. While the aircraft had its limitations and was too vulnerable for employment in daylight or over the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the AC-47 had certainly proved the value of the gunship concept and the pioneering work done by the Spooky crews was greatly developed by the AC-119 and AC-130 units. |
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