2 fatalities

Aircraft Downed by MiG-21 Over Hanoi During Linebacker II (56-0674)

Hanoi, VietnamFlight

On December 26, 1972, a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (registration 56-0674) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Hanoi, Vietnam in flight. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Shot down by enemy fire. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

A U.S. aircraft on the Linebacker II mission was shot down by a North Vietnamese MiG-21 over Hanoi, killing two crew members and capturing four others as prisoners of war.

Incident

During the Linebacker II mission over North Vietnam, an aircraft flying from U-Tapao Naval Air Station was shot down while overflying the Hanoi area. The attacker was a pilot of a North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter. The aircraft crashed in the district of Giáp Nhị in Hanoi.

Crew

The aircraft carried six crew members:

  • Captain Robert John Morris Jr., pilot (killed)
  • 1st Lieutenant Robert Markham Hudson, copilot
  • 1st Lieutenant Duane Paul Vavroch, navigator
  • Colonel Michael Harold La Beau, radio navigator
  • Captain Nutter Jerome Wimbrow III, electronic warfare officer (killed)
  • Master Sergeant James Raymond Cook, air gunner

Two crew members were killed in the incident; the remaining four were rescued and taken as prisoners of war.

Aftermath

All four captured crew members became prisoners of war. The official probable cause of the loss was determined to be enemy fire from the MiG-21.