A-1Es on the Cubi Pt NAS flight line to be flown to Bien Hoa, 1964
The following correction from Delmar Shelley Hilliard::
Damage was not caused by VC action. We did it all by our selves.
The B-57s, I think 24 (but at least 8 ) were parked wing tip to wing tip and armed with 500 pound bombs. The B-57 was started with a black powder cartridge that fired when the pilot hit the starter switch. That in turn caused a small starter turbine to spinning. These turbines had a nasty habit of spinning loose and coming out of the starter housing like a buzz saw. It didn't much matter as long as it did not hit anybody or any thing. In this case it came out and hit the fuse of one of the 500 pounders starting a chain reaction. I think I am right about these numbers, but you might want to check them:
24 B-57s destroyed
2 crew men in each B-57 and I think they were all killed
24 VNAF A-1s destroyed
Several VNAF killed
Several VNAF A-1s damaged
Several USAF ( other than B-57 crew ) killed
Several USAF A-1s damaged
One USN jet fighter (I do not know the type) destroyed. The pilot was USAF Maj. Bell, on an exchange tour with the USN. He had a hung bomb and they would not let him back on the boat with it. He was almost into base ops and went back to his plane to get his maps. He was standing on the wing when the B-57s blew. We found his name tag and it took about 3 days to figure out who he was.
Col. Wild Bill Beatha ( Cmdr. 34 Tac Ftr Gp ) said he was in command of the worst U.S. military disaster since Pearl Harbor.
DSH
