What happened
During the Linebacker II military operation over Vietnam, an aircraft departed from U-Tapao NAS in Thailand. The flight was manned by a crew of six members. While operating in the airspace above Hanoi, the plane was struck by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile launched from the ground. Following the impact from enemy fire, the aircraft lost control and descended into the Bạch Mai district of Hanoi.
The incident resulted in three fatalities among the crew. The remaining three crew members were captured and held as prisoners of war.
Findings
Investigations concluded that the loss of the aircraft was a direct result of being hit by enemy surface-to-air missile fire during its mission flight phase.