What happened
During a mission from U-Tapao NAS to Vietnam, an aircraft operating under the callsign Olive 2 was cruising over the Vinh region when it sustained damage from enemy fire. Following the strike, the crew attempted to navigate away from the combat zone and initiate a return flight to U-Tapao. However, the tactical situation deteriorated shortly after the initial hit.
As the aircraft's condition worsened, the six crew members elected to bail out of the plane. After the crew had exited, the aircraft entered a dive and impacted the ground in the vicinity of Pla Pak. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the airframe.
Findings
- All six crew members survived the incident and were located alive following the crash.
- The primary factor leading to the loss of the aircraft was being hit by enemy fire during its flight over Vietnam.