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Casualty Info
Home Town Rock Rapids
Last Address Bien Hoa AB
Casualty Date May 16, 1965
Cause Non Hostile- Died while Missing
Reason Other Accident
Location Bien Hoa (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Willamette National Cemetery (VA) - Portland, Oregon
At 0815hrs on Sunday Morning May 16, 1965, Captain Vernon Lee Hayes, Navigator and Captain Charles Nathan Fox, Pilot, were sitting in their B-57B Canberra about to start engines to lead a flight of four aircraft on a strike mission over North Vietnam. Haynes's aircraft was loaded with 750 and 500 Lbs. bombs. Without any warning a time delay fuse on one of the bombs malfunctioned and the aircraft exploded setting off a chain reaction that destroyed 22 aircraft and killed 27 men.
Comments/Citation:
Tail Numbers of the B-57B aircraft that were destroyed:
52-1568 Parked at spot A-7 4/750 lbs and 12/250lbs bombs Napalm
53-3867 Parked at spot A-9 4/750lbs and 12/250lbs bombs
53-3871 Parked at spot A-5 No Load
53-3873 Parked at spot A-6 4/M35 Incendiaries
53-3893 No Load
53-3904 Parked at spot A-4 4/750lbs and 9/500lbs bombs w/crew Steel Tiger 1
53-3913 Parked at spot B-5 4/750lbs and 9/500 lbs bombs w/crew Steel Tiger2
53-3915 Parked at spot B-8 4/750lbs and 9/500lbs bombs w/crew Steel Tiger 3
53-3930 Parked at spot A-2 4/750lbs and 9/500lbs bombs w/crew Steel Tiger 4
53-3937 Parked at spot A-1 2/750lbs and 12/250lbs bombs Napalm
The Investigation concluded in part that the aircraft and Ammo and Fuel were stored to close to each other which allowed fire and explosions to propagate. The bombers were loaded with bombs that had anti-withdraw-time delay fuses.
