Bushnell, Brian Lee
Navy Airman
Brian Lee Bushnell, age 21, from Tualatin, Oregon, Washington county.
Parents: Charles W. Bushnell
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, April 9, 1970
Death details: On April 9, 1970, a, E-2A Hawkeye (bureau number 151711, call sign “Sun King 012”) carrying a crew of five took off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the Gulf of Tonkin on an administrative mission. About one mile ahead of the ship, “Sun King 012” declared it had a fire in the aft compartment. The aircraft then impacted the water and broke apart two to three miles ahead of the Coral Sea. An extensive search of the wreckage recovered the remains of one of “Sun King 012’s” crew members; however, the other four men aboard the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Airman Brian Lee Bushnell, who joined the U.S. Navy from Oregon, was a member of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 116. He was a passenger aboard “Sun King 012” when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. After the incident, the Navy promoted AN Bushnell to the rank of Aviation Structural Mechanic Third Class (AMS3). Today, Petty Officer Bushnell is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Fort Worth Star Telegram (1970), Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Death details: On April 9, 1970, a, E-2A Hawkeye (bureau number 151711, call sign “Sun King 012”) carrying a crew of five took off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the Gulf of Tonkin on an administrative mission. About one mile ahead of the ship, “Sun King 012” declared it had a fire in the aft compartment. The aircraft then impacted the water and broke apart two to three miles ahead of the Coral Sea. An extensive search of the wreckage recovered the remains of one of “Sun King 012’s” crew members; however, the other four men aboard the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Aviation Structural Mechanic (Hydraulic) Third Class Andrew Anthony Horchar Jr., who joined the U.S. Navy from Pennsylvania, was a member of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 116. He was a passenger aboard “Sun King 012” when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Petty Officer Horchar is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Death details: On April 9, 1970, a, E-2A Hawkeye (bureau number 151711, call sign “Sun King 012”) carrying a crew of five took off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the Gulf of Tonkin on an administrative mission. About one mile ahead of the ship, “Sun King 012” declared it had a fire in the aft compartment. The aircraft then impacted the water and broke apart two to three miles ahead of the Coral Sea. An extensive search of the wreckage recovered the remains of one of “Sun King 012’s” crew members; however, the other four men aboard the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Lieutenant Larry Coleman Knight, who joined the U.S. Navy from Oklahoma, was a member of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 116. He was the copilot of “Sun King 012” when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Lieutenant Knight is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.
Death details: On April 9, 1970, a, E-2A Hawkeye (bureau number 151711, call sign “Sun King 012”) carrying a crew of five took off from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the Gulf of Tonkin on an administrative mission. About one mile ahead of the ship, “Sun King 012” declared it had a fire in the aft compartment. The aircraft then impacted the water and broke apart two to three miles ahead of the Coral Sea. An extensive search of the wreckage recovered the remains of one of “Sun King 012’s” crew members; however, the other four men aboard the aircraft are still unaccounted for. Lieutenant Junior Grade Charles Brooks Pfaffmann, who joined the U.S. Navy from Connecticut, was a member of Carrier Early Warning Squadron 116. He was the pilot of “Sun King 012” when it went down, and was lost with the aircraft. His remains have not been recovered. Today, Lieutenant Junior Grade Pfaffmann is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Based on all information available, DPAA assessed the individual’s case to be in the analytical category of Non-recoverable.