page_title: Hubert Buchanan
section_title: Dogfight and Ejection
hierarchical_section_title: Hubert Buchanan / Military service / Dogfight and Ejection
caption_attribution_description: English: U.S. Air Force 1st Lieutenant Hubert Buhanan (left) and Major John L. Robertson (right) of the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, with their McDonnell F-4C-20-MC Phantom II, s/n 63-7643, at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on 15 September 1966. This aircraft was shot down by MiG-17 gunfire near Dap Cau, North Vietnam on 16 September 1966. The pilot, Major Robertson was killed,1st Lt. Buhanan became a prisoner of war.
context_page_description: Hubert E. Buchanan is a former United States Air Force captain and fighter pilot in the Vietnam War who was shot down, captured, and spent 2,362 days as a prisoner of war in Hanoi and surrounding areas. He was one of the first American POWs to return to Vietnam after the war, and visited the man credited with his capture.
context_section_description: On 16 September 1966, Major John L. "Robbie" Robertson, pilot, and then-First Lieutenant Buchanan, weapons systems operator, comprised the crew of the #3 aircraft (F-4C-20-MC, s/n 63-7643) in a flight of four, call sign "Moonglow 3". This was Major Robertson's 29th day in Southeast Asia and 1st Lt. Buchanan's 17th mission. The flight departed Ubon Airfield, Thailand at 1500 hours to conduct an armed reconnaissance mission against the Dap Cau Railroad and Highway Bridge located approximately 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Kép Air Base, between the major cities of Hanoi and Haiphong, North Vietnam. Shortly after the flight departed Ubon Airfield, one of the Phantoms developed fuel problems and was forced to return to base. The rest of the flight continued with their mission.
  At 1540 hours, Moonglow flight was nearing their target when they were engaged in aerial combat by a flight of four MiG-17s. The Phantoms jettisoned their external ordinance before engaging the enemy fighters. As the dogfight progressed, Roscoe Epperson, a good friend of Major Robertson who was flying an air cover for another mission, recognized Robbie Robertson's voice over the radio and listened to the transmissions of the air battle. He heard Major Robertson state, "This is Moonglow 3, I see the MiGs. I am engaging MiGs!" He heard the entire battle from sighting the enemy aircraft through the dogfight. He also heard his friend report, "I am hit, and I'm heading for the water!" In the chaos of battle, no parachutes were seen and no emergency radio beepers were heard. Because of the location being deep within enemy-held territory, no search and rescue (SAR) operation was possible. At the time of loss both Robbie Robertson and Hugh Buchanan were listed missing in action.
  Moonglow flight had been jumped by a flight of four MiG-17s that launched from Gia Lam air base on the northeast edge of Hanoi. The #3 MiG was flown by North Vietnamese ace Nguyễn Văn Bảy, who was credited with seven kills by the end of the war. In a 1997 meeting between the North Vietnamese pilot and Ralph Wetterhahn, another friend of Robbie Robertson who was also assigned to this strike mission and flying in another flight of F4C aircraft from the 555 TFS, the following information was established.
  The MiGs were scrambled early in the afternoon. Nguyen Van Bay was the first one to spot the American flight far ahead of them. He asked permission to attack the Phantoms. The MiG's flight leader gave permission to give chase, but expressed doubt that they could catch the much faster American aircraft. As the MiG-17s moved toward the Phantoms, Nguyễn Văn Bảy saw Moonglow 3 initiate a climbing left turn. That turning maneuver allowed the MiG pilot to cut the diameter of the circle and close the distance between the opposing aircraft to 100 to 150 meters (330 to 490 ft) to achieve an appropriate angle of attack. Nguyễn Văn Bảy aimed, then fired his 37mm and 23mm cannons at the Phantom.
  Buchanan reported to Robertson, "This guy's pulling right in on us. He's going to shoot any time now." At that moment a salvo of orange golf ball-size rounds passed over Moonglow 3's canopies. Robbie Robertson pulled hard on the stick, then eased his turn. Hugh Buchanan saw the MiG close again. He said, "This is going to be it. He's corrected the problem."
  Nguyễn Văn Bảy lined up, fired again and saw a wheel come out from beneath the F4's wing and sail past his canopy. For 1st Lt. Buchanan everything went black. According to the WSO, "It could have been from so many G forces pulling the blood away from my eyes, I'm not sure. My helmet was bouncing around - I really don't have a clear memory of ejecting, however, I do sort of have a dream - I can kind of imagine pulling the handle the F4 had between your legs." He went on to say, "I also ejected so I must have done it. I could hear loud booms, like the canopy blowing off. And I felt the wind. The next thing I knew, my parachute was opening. When I got down low, I could see people running around on the ground in a little village. I could see a guy off to the rig
caption: Hubert Buchanan (left) and John Robertson (right) with their F-4 Phantom II
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