9 fatalities

Acoustic Buoy Mission Aircraft Crashes Near Ho Chi Minh Trail, All Nine Crew Lost (131436)

Phou Louang, LaosFlight

On January 11, 1968, a Lockheed P-2 Neptune (registration 131436) operated by United States Navy - USN was involved in an aviation accident near Phou Louang, Laos in flight. 9 people were killed. 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 an acoustic buoy drop mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail lost radio contact and was found 12 days later below a ridge, killing all nine crew members.

Incident

On the day of the accident, the airplane was engaged in an acoustic buoy drop mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The last radio contact with the aircraft was recorded at 0957 local time. After that, contact was lost, and the aircraft was not heard from again.

Search and Recovery

Search and rescue operations were initiated promptly following the loss of communication. However, the wreckage was not located until 12 days after the accident. The remains of the airplane were found on the north side of a cliff, approximately 150 feet below a ridge line that stood at 4,583 feet.

Crew

All nine crew members on board were killed in the crash. The crew consisted of Cdr Delbert Austin Olson, Lt(jg) Philip Paul Stevens, Lt (jg) Denis Leon Anderson, Lt (jg) Arthur Charles Buck, P02 Donald Nellis Thoresen, P02 Kenneth Harry Widon, P02 Michael Land Roberts, P02 Richard Michael Mancini, and P03 Gale Robert Siow.

No other details regarding the cause of the accident have been provided in the source material.