Incident Overview
On a mission to An Lộc, a U.S. aircraft operating under the callsign Stinger 41 departed from Biên Hòa Airport. While circling over An Lộc at an altitude of 4,700 feet, ground fire struck the starboard wing. The captain responded by reducing altitude and lowering the landing gear in an attempt to perform an emergency landing, which generated high drag and caused the aircraft to lose further altitude.
Evacuation and Crash
Seven crew members bailed out of the aircraft before it crashed 8 kilometers from An Lộc. The three crew members who remained on board were killed.
Crew List
The crew consisted of: Cpt Terrance Francis Courtney, Lt Jim Barkalow, Cpt David Roddy Slagle, Lt Col Tashioglou, Lt Larry Barbee, S/Sgt Bare, S/Sgt Kenneth R. Brown, S/Sgt Dale Iman, S/Sgt Ski Sledzinski, and A1c Craig Corbett. Among them, the three who remained on board and were killed were Lt Jim Barkalow, Lt Col Tashioglou, and S/Sgt Kenneth R. Brown.