ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 84969
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Monday 1 October 1951 |
| Time: | 10:20 LT |
| Type: |  Republic F-84E Thunderjet |
| Owner/operator: | 111th FBS, 136th FBW, Texas ANG, USAF |
| Registration: | 49-2420 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Chang-ju, Anju, South Pyongan -
 North Korea
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | K-2 Taeugu Airfield, Daegu, South Korea (RKTN) |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Republic F-84E-15-RE Thunderjet 49-2420,111th FBS, 136th FBW, Texas ANG, USAF: Written off (destroyed) October 1 1951 when lost (failed to return) from combat operations over North Korea.Flown by Capt Herbert Edward Ritter shot down by MiG-15bis of the 176th GIAP (324th IAD) in the Chang-ju area, Anju, South Pyongan, North Korea. Combat report states "Downed by MiG, 4 F-84s attacked by 2 MiG-15s at 10:20 Local, bailed out". Pilot Captain Herbert Edward Ritter (Service Number: AO666440) declared as MIA/KIA. According to the official biography of this pilot (see link #5):
"Captain Herbert Edward Ritter entered the U.S. Air Force from Texas and served with the 111th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing. On October 1, 1951, he piloted an F-84E Thunderjet (tail number 49-2420) that took off from Taegu Air Base (K-2), Korea, as third of four aircraft on a rail-cutting operation near Chang-ju, North Korea.
While in the target area, his F-84 was attacked by enemy aircraft and was hit. Capt Ritter was observed to bail out of the aircraft, but no signs of survival were witnessed when he landed. The flight searched for him until they were forced to depart the area due to low fuel. No returning POWs mentioned having contact with Capt Ritter, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. He remains unaccounted-for. Today, Captain Ritter is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific".
According to a rough translation from Russian into English of a Russian published source (see link #6 for the original Russian text):
"October 1, 1951: One F-84 lost to MiGs per US records at 10:20, only one claimed by a MiG between 1010 and 1026 per Soviet records, a rare clear-cut confirmation of a victory for a particular pilot. However, the victor was Maj MS Ponomarev of the 17th IAP."
Sources:
1. http://forgottenjets.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/F-84.html
2. https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1949.html
3. https://www.aviationarchaeology.com/dbSearchAF55.asp
4. http://www.accident-report.com/Yearly/1951/5110.html
5. https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt000000Ie6Q9EAJ
6. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/archive/index.php?t-22379.html
7. https://www.koreanwar.org/html/25134/korean-war-project-missouri-ao666440-cpt-herbert-edward-ritter
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anju,_South_Pyongan
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Apr-2011 21:03 | Daniel Nole | Updated [Time, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation