| Date: 23 May 1966 |
| Aircraft type: A-4C Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 147762 |
| Military Unit: VA-36 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Enterprise |
| Name(s): |
| Ens Karl William Leuffen (Survived) |
| As Ens Leuffen was making his run towards the Dong Khe railway bridge 23 miles north of Vinh he felt a thump as his Skyhawk (call sign Gale Force 712) was hit by ground fire but he pressed on and bombed the target. After the strike his wingman reported that Leuffen’s aircraft was streaming fuel so a hook up with a tanker was made on the 125 mile-return trip to the Enterprise. As the aircraft entered the traffic pattern to land on the carrier the engine began to run down (probably from lack of oil) and Ens Leuffen was forced to eject from 350 feet. |
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