| Date: 4 October 1966 |
| Aircraft type: A-4C Skyhawk |
| Serial Number: 147737 |
| Military Unit: VA-22 |
| Service: USN |
| Home Base: USS Coral Sea |
| Name(s): |
| Lt Cdr John Douglas Burns (POW) |
| As a flight of Skyhawks was flying an armed reconnaissance mission along Route 1 some 10 miles north of Thanh Hoa when they received a SAM warning and started to jink to break the SAM’s radar lock. As the flight descended through 1,500 feet Lt Cdr Burns felt several hits from AAA on his aircraft’s fuselage and wings. Within a few seconds the aircraft (call sign Beef Eater 224) was a ball of flame and the controls became ineffective forcing the pilot to eject while still a mile short of the coast. Lt Cdr Burns was captured and spent the rest of the war as a POW, being released on 4 March 1973. |
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