Incident Details
The aircraft departed U-Tapao Airbase in Thailand on the evening of February 5 to conduct a 24-hour patrol flight over the Gulf of Thailand. Around 0300 local time, the crew reported their position to ground personnel; this was the last radio transmission. The aircraft disappeared minutes later and crashed into the sea off Phú Quốc Island.
Search and Recovery
Debris and two bodies were found ten days after the crash. All 12 occupants of the aircraft were killed.
Crew
The crew members were: Lt Cdr Robert F. Meglio, Lt(jg) Thomas Paul Jones, Lt(jg) Lynn Michael Travis, Lt(jg) Roy Arthur Huss, AXC Donald Frederick Burnett, A0C Donald Louis Gallagher, AMH2 Homer Eugene McKay, ADR1 James Clifford Newman, AE1 Melvin Carl Thompson, ADJ2 Billy W. McGhee, AX3 Armando Chapa, and AX3 William Farrell Farris.
Investigation
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined. However, it is believed that the loss of control was the result of problems with the autopilot system.