Incident Overview
While en route on a night gunship mission, the captain informed ground control that the aircraft had lost a propeller blade on the left engine. He initially elected to return to Đà Nẵng Airport but later decided to continue over the South China Sea.
Abandonment and Rescue
All 10 crew members subsequently abandoned the aircraft, which crashed into the sea. Nine occupants were found alive. The body of the 10th crew member, Technical Sergeant Clyde Douglas Alloway, was not recovered.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause to be: Lost of propeller blade in flight.