No fatalities

Aircraft Hit by Missile During Linebacker II Mission; Crew Survives After Abandoning Aircraft (57-6481)

Nakhon Phanom, ThailandFlight

On December 20, 1972, a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress (registration 57-6481) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Nakhon Phanom, Thailand in flight. No fatalities were reported. 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

An aircraft on a Linebacker II mission was struck by an SA-2 missile over Hanoi. The six crew members abandoned the aircraft near Nakhon Phanom, Thailand; all survived.

Incident Overview

On a mission designated Linebacker II over Vietnam, an aircraft departed Andersen Air Force Base on Guam under call sign Brass 02. While flying over Hanoi, the aircraft was struck by enemy fire, specifically an SA-2 surface-to-air missile. Despite the hit, the crew managed to leave the target area and continue to Thailand. However, all six crew members were eventually forced to abandon the aircraft, which crashed approximately 16 kilometers southwest of Nakhon Phanom. The aircraft was destroyed.

Crew Members

The crew consisted of six members: Captain John Ettinger (pilot), Captain Lawrence A. Casazza (pilot), Major Charles E. Archie (copilot), First Lieutenant Robert A. Clement (radio navigator), Captain Silverio A. Barroqueiro (navigator), and Technical Sergeant George H. Schryer (electronic warfare officer). All six crew members survived the incident.

Final Outcome

The aircraft was completely destroyed. No further details regarding the fate of the crew or the wreckage were provided in the source.

Probable cause

Shot down by enemy fire.