| Date: 29 July 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-4E Phantom |
| Serial Number: 66-0367 |
| Military Unit: 4 TFS, 366 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Capt James D Kula (POW) |
| Capt Melvin K Matsui (POW) |
| Aircraft type: F-105G Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4443 |
| Military Unit: 17 WWS, 388 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Korat |
| Name(s): |
| Maj Thomas J Coady (Survived) |
| Maj Perry F Murphy (Survived) |
| A raid on Kep ran into trouble when it was engaged by several MiGs. One of the Phantoms (call sign Trigger) from the chaff-escort flight was hit by an Atoll missile fired by a MiG-21 at about 10,000 feet some 15 miles northeast of Kep. The crew ejected a few moments later when it was realised that their burning aircraft was no longer responding to the controls. Capt Kula and Capt Matsui were soon captured and spent the rest of the war in a POW camp until they were released on 29 March 1973. Two of the attacking MiGs were shot down during the engagement. Maj Kula was flying his 35th mission when he was shot down. He returned to flying after repatriation and later commanded the 68th TFS when it transitioned from the F-4 to the F-16A.
About 10 minutes later, as the strike force was retiring from the target and heading out to sea, one of the Iron Hand F-105Gs (call sign Eagle 3) engaged a MiG. As the Thunderchief performed a split-S manoeuvre it fired a Sidewinder missile at the MiG but the missile exploded prematurely and damaged the F-105’s starboard wing. Maj Coady managed to coax his badly damaged aircraft out over the Gulf of Tonkin and set course for Da Nang. The crew ejected about five miles offshore from Da Nang where Maj Coady was rescued by a HH-53C from the 37th ARRS and Maj Murphy by a HH-43F from Da Nang. |
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