Accident North American RA-5C Vigilante 151627, Thursday 9 March 1967
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Date:Thursday 9 March 1967
Time:
Type:Silhouette image of generic vigi model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
North American RA-5C Vigilante
Owner/operator:United States Navy
Registration: 151627
MSN: NA283-33
Fatalities:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:15 mi NE of Than Hoa City, NVN -   Vietnam
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:
Destination airport:
Narrative:
Shot down by AAA while 450 knots at 350 feet, just off the coast. Both crew ejected into the surf. The pilot was apparently killed. The RAN was captured but escaped by shooting both his captors with a hidden .22 caliber pistol hidden in his flight suit, and swimming out to the rescue helo.

Pilot: Cdr Charles Lancaster Putnam, XO of RVAH-13 (KIA)
RAN: Lt jg Francis S. Pendergast (POW escapee)

Sources:

- JF Baugher
Wings of Fame, Vol 19.

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
30-Aug-2012 09:02 Uli Elch Added
10-Feb-2020 16:37 Iwosh Updated [Operator, Location, Operator, ]
16-Jan-2022 10:13 TB Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, ]
28-Nov-2024 11:18 Larry Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]

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