| Date: 28 September 1972 |
| Aircraft type: F-111A Aardvark |
| Serial Number: 67-0078 |
| Military Unit: 429 TFS, 474 TFW on TDY |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Maj William Clare Coltman (KIA) |
| 1Lt Robert Arthur Brett (KIA) |
| The first casualty from the newly-deployed F-111 squadrons failed to return from the very first mission over Laos on the night of the 28th. Six aircraft were rapidly turned round after arriving at Takhli on the evening of the 28th and were despatched on individual missions. Unfortunately, the hurried preparation led to equipment problems and only two of the six aircraft actually reached a target. Ranger 23 set off from Takhli to bomb a target to the southeast of Yen Bai and was either shot down, flew into the ground or was destroyed by the explosion from its own Mk84 bombs. The Mk84 requires a minimum drop height of 1,300 feet to be sure of avoiding debris from the explosion. It was thought possible that the crew dropped from a lower altitude and were hit by shrapnel from their own bombs. The weather was poor that night and the aircraft’s terrain-following radar, which was used to fly automatic at low level on night missions, could be deceived by dense rain showers and other phenomena. Whatever the cause, as with the Combat Lancer deployment, the tragic early loss of an aircraft and its crew was a major blow to the return to combat of the F-111 and resulted in a five-day standown to introduce revised tactics. |
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