ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 148196
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| Date: | Friday 18 February 1966 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Grumman A-6A Intruder |
| Owner/operator: | VA-85, US Navy |
| Registration: | 151797 |
| MSN: | I-100 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Thanh Hoa Province, 70 miles W of Hanoi, North Vietnam -
 Vietnam
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) off coast of Vietnam |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Destroyed February 18 1966 during a daylight armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam in Mountainous terrain. Pull Out apparently low. Destroyed by blast of its own bombs over Thanh Hoa Province, North Vietnam. Both crew - Lt. (JG) Joseph Vaughn Murray and Lt. (JG) Thomas Anthony Schroeffel - KIA. According to published sources (see link #4):
"On 18 Feb 1966 Lt. (JG) Joseph V. Murray and Lt (JG) Thomas A Schroeffel crewed an A-6A Intruder, Bureau Number 151797, as the wing man on a daylight armed reconnaissance mission in a mountainous area about 70 miles west of Hanoi. During the mission, the two aircraft located and attacked trucks on a mountain road. While conducting a shallow dive-bomb delivery using retarded ("snake eye") bombs, Murray apparently fell victim to target fixation and failed to initiate his pull-out soon enough - and the Intruder impacted the hillside about 500 yards beyond the target.
Neither crewman ejected before impact and the crash was not survivable. Both were declared Killed in Action/Body not Recovered. As of 24 Feb 2004 their remains have not been repatriated."
Lt. (JG) Thomas Anthony Schroeffel has a grave marker at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County
Virginia, USA, Plot at Memorial Section G. However, as his remains have never been recovered, it is, of course, a "cenotaph" or empty tomb.
Sources:
1. http://web.archive.org/web/20171103001143/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk:80/aircraft_by_type/a6_prowler.htm
2. http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries19.html
3. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.millionmonkeytheater.com/a6pics/151797.jpg]
4. http://www.virtualwall.org/ds/SchroeffelTA01a.htm
5. http://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/46149/THOMAS-A-SCHROEFFEL
6. https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=24061896
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Aug-2012 06:36 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 15-Mar-2016 00:56 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 15-Mar-2016 00:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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