cessna o2 skymaster (reg: 68-6860)

CESSNA 02 SKYMASTER (REGISTRATION: 68-6860)
On March 16, 1971, an 0-2A Skymaster (tail number 68-6860, call sign "Hammer 244") with a crew of two departed its base on a Forward Air Controller (FAC) mission over Laos. The Skymaster was hit by enemy fire during the mission, and crew members aboard other aircraft nearby saw it explode in the air and crash. Witnesses saw no parachutes leave the aircraft, and no rescue beeper signals were received after the crash. A search and rescue attempt was unable to locate any wreckage or signs of survivors.