What happened
During the execution of the Linebacker II mission, an aircraft operating under the call sign Rose 01 departed from U-Tapao NAS in Thailand. The flight was manned by a total of six crew members. While traversing the airspace above Hanoi, the aircraft was targeted and struck by enemy SA-2 surface-to-air missiles.
Following the impact from the anti-aircraft fire, the plane lost altitude and ultimately crashed into Huu Tiep Lake, situated in central Hanoi. The accident resulted in two fatalities among the crew members. The remaining four crew members were captured and held as prisoners of war.
Findings
The destruction of the aircraft was caused by direct hits from enemy surface-to-air missiles during its flight over North Vietnam.