| Date: 12 November 1965 |
| Aircraft type: F-105D Thunderchief |
| Serial Number: 62-4218 |
| Military Unit: 562 TFS, 23 TFW attached to 355 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Takhli |
| Name(s): |
| Capt William Ned Miller (KIA) |
| As a formation of Thunderchiefs was about to refuel from a KC-135 tanker one of the Thuds exploded without warning. Capt Miller ejected, probably involuntarily, from the aircraft but he was found to be dead in his parachute. The accident was thought to be due to either a catastrophic engine failure or, perhaps more likely, the detonation of one of the aircraft’s bombs due to a faulty fuze. Capt Miller had narrowly escaped having to eject from his F-105 during the 5 October raid on Lang Met when four aircraft were lost. Miller’s aircraft took a hit in an engine burner chamber but he nursed it for 40 minutes until he reached Da Nang. Known as ‘Nasty Ned’, William Miller was a very popular and experienced member of the F-105 fraternity. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 as an airborne electrical specialist and then applied for Cadet training and graduated as a navigator in 1954. He completed a course with the University of Maryland and took pilot training in 1959. He flew F-100s before transitioning to F-105s and joining the 562nd TFS at McConnell AFB. Miller’s rise through the ranks and his progression through ground, academic and flight training typifies the way the USAF strongly encourages professional military education and training. This was the sixth and final F-105 and the second pilot lost by the 562nd TFS during its deployment to Takhli. |
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