| Date: 22 September 1966 |
| Aircraft type: A-1H Skyraider |
| Serial Number: 135239 |
| Military Unit: VA-176 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Intrepid |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Charles Allen Knochel (KIA) |
| Two Skyraiders came under intense anti-aircraft fire as they were about to recross the North Vietnamese coast at Mu Ron Ma on completion of an armed reconnaissance mission. Lt Knochel’s aircraft (call sign Papoose 401) was hit in the starboard wing, which caught fire and which in turn detonated some of the cannon ammunition in the wing. Lt Knochel abandoned the aircraft over the sea but hit the water hard as his parachute swung wildly. He was not seen to move while in the water and when an Albatross landed some 12 minutes later Lt Knochel had disappeared under the waves, probably having been knocked unconscious during the entry into the water. |
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