ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 158676
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| Date: | Wednesday 28 February 1968 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6A Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-35, US Navy |
| Registration: | 152938 |
| MSN: | I-242 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Gulf of Tonkin, 20 miles off Thanh Hoa Province, North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Enterprise (CVW-9) Yankee Station, South China Sea |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A‑6A Intruder BuNo. 152938/'NG-512' of VA‑35, CVW‑9, US Navy on board the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65). Lost on combat operations on February 28 1968: shot down by Flak during night strike on a coastal defence site at Do Son in North Vietnam. Crashed into the Gulf of Tonkin about 20 miles off the coast, east of Thanh Hoa off North Vietnam
Aircraft was lost while on a strike mission on the Bai Thong airfield. This was event four for the day with a 19:15 hours launch. BuNo 152938 was loaded with 22 MK-82 barbs. Shortly after catapult 152938 radioed "execute", which meant he was on his assigned flight plan. This was his last radio transmission. When 152938 did not join up with the other A 6A on this event, an electronic search was made over 152938's flight area. Running low on fuel, this aircraft had to return to Enterprise. Two A-6A aircraft on the following event were sent over Bai Tong to obtain bomb damage assessment of this area if possible. Nome was obtained. Shortly after midnight, Destroyer Escorts Jouett and Southerland were called off station to begin a search of the coastal waters. At 06:05 hours that morning, an oil slick 75 feet in diameter was located by Southerland.
Southerland and Jouett intensified their search but were hampered by poor visibility (less than 100 yards). At 06:30 hours, debris was located and swimmers were sent into the water to recover as much as possible. Small parts of the aircraft, including a flak-damaged tail section, were located but no trace of the crew was ever found. It has not been determined whether 152938 was en-route to or returning from the target when the aircraft impacted with the water.
The Navy has listed both crew members - Lt Commander Henry Coons and Bombardier/Navigator Lt Tom Stegman - as MIA. The status of both were changed from MIA to KIA on May 10 1973.
Sources:
1. A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam War By Rick Morgan
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
4. http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/CoonsHA01a.htm
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
6. http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/StegmanTx01a.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2013 07:56 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 20-Aug-2013 08:12 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Location, Narrative] |
| 18-Mar-2016 18:28 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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