Incident
The aircraft was engaged in the Linebacker II mission over North Vietnam, with six crew members aboard from U-Tapao NAS. While overflying the Hanoi area, the aircraft was struck by an SA-2 surface-to-air missile.
Crew Actions
After the missile hit, the crew decided to leave the target area and return to U-Tapao NAS for an emergency landing. However, with the four engines on the left side out of service, they determined that a safe landing was not possible and chose to bail out. The crew abandoned the aircraft, which crashed in an isolated area.
Aftermath
All six crew members were found alive. The crew consisted of: Captain John Mize, pilot; Captain Terrence Gruters, copilot; Lieutenant William Robinson, navigator; Captain Dennis Anderson, electronic warfare officer; Captain William North, radio navigator; and Technical Sergeant Peter E. Whalen, air gunner.