Incident
Shortly after midnight on the 28th, a Combat Talon C-130E-I, flown by crew S-01, departed Nha Trang on a low-level special operations mission toward Hanoi. The aircraft was tasked with a leaflet drop west of the city, followed by a diversionary resupply drop in the Song Da Valley of North Vietnam. Diversionary drops were sometimes performed by Combat Talon aircraft to mislead enemy forces into believing a clandestine team was operating in a particular area.
About four hours into the flight, the crew made a radio transmission indicating the mission was progressing normally. After that message, no further radio contact was established, and the aircraft was declared missing on the morning of the 29th. It was presumed that the aircraft had either been shot down by ground fire over North Vietnam or had flown into terrain while returning at low level in darkness.
Search and Recovery
A two-week search along the planned route failed to locate any wreckage sightings. In 1992 and 1993, investigations at a crash site in the mountains of Lai Châu Province, North Vietnam, did not yield conclusive evidence of human remains. The aircraft had crashed approximately 51 kilometers northeast of Điện Biên Phủ, and the site had been scavenged by local villagers. A subsequent investigation discovered some scant remains, but these are still pending positive identification. The wreckage was located just below the summit of a high karst cliff, suggesting the aircraft likely struck high ground while returning from its mission.
Crew
The crew on board consisted of: Cpt Edwin Nelms Osborne, Cpt Gerald Gordon Van Buren, Maj Charles Peter Claxton, Maj Donald Ellis Fisher, Cpt Frank Claveloux Parker, Cpt Gordon James Wenaas, T/Sgt Jack McCrary, S/Sgt Wayne Alvin Eckley, S/Sgt Gean Preston Clapper, A1C Edward Joseph Darcy, and A1C James Randall Williams.