| Date: 18 November 1964 |
| Aircraft type: F-100D Super Sabre |
| Serial Number: 55-2885 |
| Military Unit: 613 TFS, 401 TFW on TDY |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Da Nang |
| Name(s): |
| Capt William Reynolds Martin (KIA) |
| The 613th TFS arrived at Da Nang from England AFB, Louisiana early in November. Before the month was out the Squadron had lost an aircraft and its pilot. Capt Martin was flying one of two F-100s escorting a Yankee Team RF-101C reconnaissance mission over southern Laos when he was shot down. The aircraft was hit by AAA near Ban Senphan as Capt Martin was attacking a gun emplacement in an effort to divert attention from the RF-101C. His loss triggered what turned out to be the largest SAR effort so far mounted in the war. Martin’s wingman called to the Air America Air Operations Centre in Vientiane that ran the SAR system in Laos. The F-100 came down close to the border with North Vietnam. An Air America C-123 was first on the scene and acted as airborne controller until handing over to a USAF HU-16 Albatross from Korat. The HU-16 called for US Navy Skyraiders, which were already airborne, to fly to the area to provide defence suppression for the rescue forces. The Skyraiders duly arrived and attacked gun emplacements but were themselves slightly damaged during the action. One of the Navy pilots spotted what he thought was burning wreckage in the jungle and the airborne controller called in two HH-43 Huskie rescue helicopters from Nakhon Phanom. The Navy aircraft escorted the helicopters to the fire but no wreckage was seen and the helicopters returned to base. By the end of the first day the search had involved a C-123, two Air America H-34s, 13 F-105s, eight F-100s, six Navy A-1Es and two HH-43s, all controlled by the HU-16 airborne controller. The next morning another HU-16 and four F-105s returned to Ban Senphan and the Albatross pilot eventually spotted the F-100’s wreckage and Capt Martin’s parachute very close to an AAA site. The gun emplacement was destroyed by the F-105s and two H-34s escorted by four T-28s from Udorn arrived to attempt a pick up. After the site was cleared the co-pilot from one of the helicopters was lowered to the crash site but found that Capt Martin had died of injuries when he hit the rocky ground. Although the outcome was negative, this SAR attempt was indicative of the many hundreds of such missions that would be flown over the next eight years, many of them successful in returning aircrew to safety from seemingly hopeless positions. |
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