10 Strangest Vietnam War Unsolved Mysteries

On 5 February 1973, a plane is shot down over Laos in the early hours of the morning. This happens just a week after the Paris Peace Accord officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam War. The plane was the United States Air Force EC-17 and was carrying eight crew members. The bodies of four crewmen were pulled from the wreckage. Four others were mysteriously missing.

Although the war was officially over for the U.S., this plane was sent on a detection mission to monitor the Ho Chi Minh trail. This plane belonged to the 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron and contained specialists from that squadron. It took off from the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, it was hit by anti-aircraft fire and went down in Salavan Province, Laos.

The families of the missing airmen found that there is evidence that they bailed out and survived. Their seats were unbuckled, and no remains were found nearby. A U.S. listening post also intercepted a message at 8 am the same day about four U.S. airmen being captured. The U.S. at first dismissed these claims, saying that the men were killed in action.

There are many claims that the men could have been captured and taken back to the Soviet Union. Technicians like these would have been a valuable source of intel. This is a case that is investigated to this day.