| Date: 7 April 1966 |
| Aircraft type: B-57B Canberra |
| Serial Number: 52-1530 |
| Military Unit: 8 TBS, 405 FW attached to 6252 TFW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Capt Robert Russell Barnett (KIA) |
| Capt Thomas Taylor Walker (KIA) |
| A Canberra (call sign Yellow Bird 12) flew into the ground during a daylight dive bombing attack in the Steel Tiger area of Laos about 55 miles west of Hué. It was not possible to conduct a SAR mission due to intense enemy activity in the area. The cause was not determined although it was thought probable that the aircraft had been hit by ground fire. This aircraft had previously served with the both Nevada and Kentucky ANG prior to service in Southeast Asia. In 2014 and 2015 three excavations were made on the aircraft’s crash site by joint US/Laotian teams with the result that human remains and other material was recovered. The remains were later identified as being those of Capt Barnett through dental analysis compared to medical records. The remains were buried in Austin, Texas on 7 April 2017, exactly 51 years after Capt Barnett’s death. |
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