Accident description
Last updated: 18 May 2013
| Status: | |
| Date: | 24 DEC 1965 |
| Time: | ca 10:50 |
| Type: | Douglas AC-47D Spooky |
| Operator: | United States Air Force - USAF |
| Registration: | 45-1120 |
| C/n / msn: | 17123/34390 |
| First flight: | 1945 |
| Engines: | 2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90 |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off |
| Airplane fate: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | ca 10 km WSW of Ban Solou (Laos)
 |
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Da Nang Airport (DAD/VVDN), Vietnam |
| Da Nang Airport (DAD/VVDN), Vietnam |
On December 24,1965, at 07:28 hours, a Douglas AC-47D gunship, call sign "Spooky 21," departed Da Nang Airport (DAD) on an armed reconnaissance/strike mission over Laos. The gunship was due to return to base at approximately 13:30 hours. Mayday calls were received at 10:50. A search and rescue mission failed to find the airplane or crew. The crew was declared Missing In Action.
In 1995, a joint U.S.-Laotian search team was led to the crash site by a local farmer who had found aircraft wreckage in a nearby field. The site was recommended for follow-up visits, but no human remains were found in four subsequent visits between 1999 and 2001.
Additional searches at the crash site in 2010 and 2011 led to the recovery of human remains, personal items, and military equipment.
Sources:
» US Crashes 1950-2002 / Jan van Waarde
» AC-47D Gunships Homepage > AC-47 Spooky Crew Losses
» Six Airmen Lost Over Laos in 1965 Buried at Arlington (ABC News, 9-7-2012)
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Da Nang Airport to Da Nang Airport as the crow flies is 0 km (0 miles).
Distance from Da Nang Airport to Da Nang Airport as the crow flies is 0 km (0 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
