ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138183
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| Date: | Tuesday 21 November 1972 |
| Time: | 05:22 LT |
| Type: |  General Dynamics F-111A |
| Owner/operator: | 430th TFSqn /474th TFWg USAF |
| Registration: | 67-0092 |
| MSN: | A1-137 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | in Gulf of Tonkin 3 miles off Hai Trach -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Takhli RTAFB, Thailand |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On 21 November 1972, Capt. Ronald D. Stafford, pilot, and Capt. Charles J. Caffarelli, weapons systems officer, comprised the crew of a General Dynamics F111A Aardvark (serial 67-0092) that was conducting a night combat mission over Quang Binh, South Vietnam. Their tactical flight plan called for them to egress the target area by an over water route.
The F111A was tracked by US ground control radar until it reached the target area, at which time the aircraft dropped below the altitude level at which the radar could see it. When Capt. Stafford and Capt. Caffarelli failed to make radio contact at the appointed time, a radio check was made. At 05:22 hours, the time estimated that their fuel would have been exhausted, a search and rescue (SAR) operation was initiated along the aircraft's intended flight path. These efforts failed to locate any trace of the aircraft or its crew. Three witnesses described 'shooting down' of F-111 aircraft which crashed off coast near Hai Trach village at approximate co-ordinates 16'24.42"N, 107'51.55"E.
On 2 December 1972, pieces of their aircraft were found washed up on the beach of South Vietnam between Hue and DaNang, at a point approximately 9 miles due east of the Hue/ Phu Bai Airbase, 16 miles southeast of the city of Hue and 32 miles northwest of DaNang, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam.
Formal SAR efforts were terminated on 3 December when no additional signs of Capt. Stafford and Capt. Caffarelli were found. The aircraft went down within 3 miles of the shoreline, there was no indication the two men failed to eject their crippled aircraft. At the time the search was terminated, both Ronald Stafford and Charles Caffarelli were listed Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.
Sources:
http://web.archive.org/web/20170921070650/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/Aircraft_by_Type/F_111/F-111.htm
http://www.f-111.net/t_no_A.htm
http://taskforceomegainc.org/s421.html
http://www.vvmf.org//index.cfm?SectionID=110&Wall_Id_No=49339
https://www.abmc.gov/search/node
http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/StaffordRD01a.htm
http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/g/g102.htm (info on F-111 in SEA, problems and crew losses) http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/pmsea/HTML/pmsea_html_c.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Aug-2011 11:09 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 28-Jan-2013 16:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-May-2021 10:36 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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