Incident Overview
An aircraft departed Ubon Ratchathani Airport on an orbital control flight at an altitude of 9,000 feet. During the flight, the aircraft was struck by multiple rounds of 37 mm antiaircraft fire (flak). The impact caused the aircraft to burst into flames and lose control. It subsequently entered a dive and crashed in a mountainous and isolated area.
Search and Recovery
Search and rescue operations were initiated but were abandoned after a few weeks, as no trace of the aircraft or its crew was found. Years later, in November 1993, the remains of the crew were returned from Laos. Positive identification of the remains was completed in October 1995.
Crew
The eight crew members on board were:
- Captain Earl Carlyle Brown
- First Lieutenant Peter Richard Matthes
- Major Michael Dimitri Belamonti
- Captain Richard Owen Ganley
- Staff Sergeant Charles Richard Fellenz
- Staff Sergeant Larry Irwin Grewell
- Staff Sergeant Donald Lee Wright
- Sergeant Rexford John DeWispelaere
Probable Cause
The official probable cause for the accident is that the aircraft was shot down by enemy fire.