What happened to the aircraft that landed in Vietnam and was shown evacuating the lasrt people from Viet Nam?

Show all answers

The Boeing 727 operated by World Airways was picking up evacuees from Danang, about 500 miles north of Saigon on March 28, 1975 when Danang was falling to the North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces (the Vietnamese People's Army and the South Vietnamese Liberation Armed Forces, if you preferred). It had nothing to do with the helicopter evacuation of Saigon that happened more than a month thereafter as most of the other answers mistakenly stated.

"Tonight, I saw some amazing archival video on www.cbsnews.com of World Airways' famous Last Flight From DaNang. Years ago, I read an article on World Airways' storied history, including how its founder, Ed Daly, participated in the Last Flight From DaNang at the end of the Vietnam War. Daly and a crew had flown a 727 into DaNang as South Vietnam fell, trying to pick up women and children refugees. The military had told them that they were on their own, because US troops had withdrawn and they wouldn't guarantee their safety. Daly went anyway. The 727 was swarmed by troops and others desparately trying the flee the arriving communists. The www.worldair.com web site used to have the whole article reprinted, including how Daly had personally stood, pistol in hand, at the rear air stairs and used his former-boxer's fists to hold off the advancing swarm. To escape almost certain destruction, the pilot took off *from a taxiway* with over 300 people on board and the airstairs jammed open. The trusty 727 survived bullet holes, overloading, folks in the wheel wells, cargo compartments, etc., and landed in Saigon more than 1.5 hours later (rather than the usual 50 minutes). It's an amazing story.

Tonight is the Anniversary of that flight. CBS news has a five-minute video story on the flight posted at www.cbsnews.com. Knowing the story well, I had chills and tears watching the video for the first time. There was the late Ed Daly, pistol in hand, personally fighting to get his passengers and crew out of there safely. There was Ken Healy, the flight's legendary captain, in the left seat radioing back and forth to another World 727 flying alongside to eyeball the condition of the plane, and hearing that his cargo compartments were open and loaded with people and handling the flight and treacherous landing with Chuck Yeagar calm."

That aircraft belongs to the dust bin of history as does the desastrous dicision to intervevene in Vietnam and the humiliating evacuation therefrom. Let it rest in peace.

Neighbour

Is that year 1975?

rick m

That aircraft was a Huey UH-1E that I believe was pushed over the side of the USS Forestall. Google J.J. Valdez, The last American (Marine) in Vietnam.
The aircraft was sacrificed to make room on the flight deck of the carrier for the large number of Vietnamese refugees.
MGySgt Valdez and his four Marines took everyone they could without overloading the aircraft.
Semper Fi

john r

are you talking about the helicopter landing on the american embassy roof and people being knocked off of it by a burly looking guy

nowhereman

it's somewhere in the pacific ocean.

Jim G

It landed safely in the Philippines....grossly overloaded.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: