Baron 52

EC-47
Image courtesy of EC47.com

"Baron 52" was the callsign of an EC-47Q with a flight crew from the 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron and a mission crew from the 6994th Security Squadron. Based at Ubon, Thailand, it was lost over Laos to enemy ground fire on February 4, 1973 -- eight days after the Peace Accords had been signed with North Vietnam. This mission continues to stir the POW/MIA controversy, since only the remains of the front-end crew had been verified at the crash site. Some speculate that the four surviving mission crew members may have been spirited away to North Vietnam or possibly the Soviet Union for interrogation and technical exploitation given their cryptologic backgrounds. For details:

1989 Oral History Interview Transcript

Robert Destatte disputes that any survivors existed or were captured.

Larry O'Daniel disputes Destatte's analysis. As does Steve Golding.

The families of the missing crewmen joined the Bamboo Pipeline.

Wasn't John Kerry one of the politicians in such a hurry to quash the MIA issue in order to normalize relations with Vietnam? I'm just saying.