ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 158678
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| Date: | Tuesday 12 March 1968 |
| Time: | 04:30 |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6A Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-35, US Navy |
| Registration: | 152943 |
| MSN: | I-247 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 3 miles from USS Enterprise, Gulf of Tonkin, off North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Enterprise (CVW-9) Yankee Station, Gulf of Tonkin |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
A‑6A Intruder BuNo. 152943 of VA‑35, US Navy as part of CVW‑9 on board the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65): Operational loss following launch from the USS Enterprise. Aircraft crashed 3 miles from the USS Enterprise following catapult launch at 04:30 hours. The following transmissions were heard and recorded, "Rolling, Rolling, Eject, Ejecting, I'm Ejecting".
Both crew - Commander Glenn Edward Kollman (pilot and Commanding Officer of VA‑35) and Lt John Gary Griffith (Bombardier/Navigator) - are believed to have ejected at approximate Coordinates: 18'12.58"N 107'48.00"E. Commander Kollmann and Lt Griffith were never located, due to a large degree to the weather conditions. The two were listed as killed, and because their bodies were never found, they are listed among the missing in Southeast Asia.
Both crew subsequently awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for their 24 February 1968 mission, becoming the third pilot-B/N team to receive the medal for a single mission.
Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, John Griffith had earned his wings as an NAO in I960 and served as a B/N in A3D-2s with VAH-1 at NAS Sanford, Florida, prior to joining the Intruder community. At the time of his death, Griffith may well have been the most highly decorated NFO in the service, with a Navy Cross, Silver Star, five Distinguished Flying Crosses, two individual-flight Air Medals, nine Strike/Flight Air Medals and a Navy Commendation Medal with Combat 'V.
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://web.archive.org/web/20180422222159/http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/A-6.html
5. http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/g/g399.htm
6. https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/4287
7. https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=Person&ID=414370
8. https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=94251174
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2013 07:56 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 20-Aug-2013 08:15 | Uli Elch | Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 18-Mar-2016 19:44 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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