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| Date: | Tuesday 2 May 1972 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Grumman KA-6D Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-115, US Navy |
| Registration: | 152597 |
| MSN: | I-135 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near USS Midway, in Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Midway (CV-41) Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam |
| USS Midway (CV-41) Gulf of Tonkin, North Vietnam |
KA-6D Intruder BuNo. 152597/'NF-516' of VA-115, as part of CVW-2, on board the USS Midway (CVA-41). Lost on combat operations on May 2 1972: reportedly ditched into the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam due to an electrical fire in the cockpit's centre console immediately after launch
Both crew - Lt R. J. A. Bendel (pilot) and Lt J. G. Houser (bombardier/navigator) - ejected and were quickly recovered by the USS Midway's "plane guard" SAR helicoptrer
Sources:
1. A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam War By Rick Morgan & Jim Laurier
2. http://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
3. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
4. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
5. http://web.archive.org/web/20160806182514/http://ejection-history.org.uk/CARRIERS/USS_MIDWAY/uss_midway.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Aug-2013 08:24 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 19-Aug-2013 08:35 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Location, Country, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Mar-2016 17:13 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Mar-2016 22:36 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
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