| Date: 11 June 1972 |
| Aircraft type: A-6A Intruder |
| Serial Number: 154145 |
| Military Unit: VMA(AW)-224 |
| Service: USMC |
| Home Base: USS Coral Sea |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Roger Eugene Wilson (KIA) |
| Capt William Kerr Angus (POW) |
| Another of VMA(AW)-224’s Intruders was lost during a Linebacker raid on an anti-aircraft gun position near Nam Dinh, 40 miles southeast of Hanoi. The aircraft (call sign Bengal 522) dropped its bombs in a 45-degree dive but as it started to pull out of the dive its port wing was seen to separate inboard of the wing fold joint. The aircraft rolled rapidly to the left and the starboard wing also began to break up. With the aircraft streaming fuel and in an uncontrollable spiral dive the crew ejected, although only the navigator survived to be captured. This was one of several instances during the war when an Intruder had lost a wing. Although, as in this case, flak damage was often listed as the probable cause, structural failure due to the wing being overstressed also remained a distinct possibility. In the absence of wreckage to examine doubts still persisted as to the exact cause of the aircraft’s demise. Capt Angus was repatriated from North Vietnam on 28 March 1973. This was the fourth and last Intruder lost by VMA(AW)-224 during its six-month cruise on the Coral Sea. The Squadron had flown 2,800 sorties in 4,500 flying hours during its tour and had taken part in the Operation Pocket Money mining of Haiphong harbour on 8 May. |
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