"Jockey 14"
On March 14, 1994, an AC-130H Spectre gunship from the 16th Special Operations Squadron crash-landed 200 yards off the Kenyan coast, near the town of Malindi. Eight of the 14 crewmen aboard were killed in the crash. Jockey 14 was operating in support of ongoing operations in and around Mogadishu, Somalia at the time of the accident.
A tourist on the beach took this picture right before the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean on 14 March 1994 while supporting U.N. Forces in Somalia, Africa. The 105mm gun started a fire on the left wing when a live round prematurely exploded inside the barrel of the Howitzer. Some crewmembers bailed out while others braced for impact as the plane descended over the coast of Malindi, Kenya.
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The recovered 105mm barrel shows where the explosion occurred.
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The crew of "Jockey 14" (8 of the 14 died) poses next to the 105mm Howitzer gun a few days before the crash. The 105mm is the biggest gun ever fired from an airplane.
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I took this picture the next day as we flew over the crash site.
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Local Newspaper reports 7 dead while Bill Eyler was still missing. He was the first one, and the only one, who bailed out who was never found.
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With the back of the airplane's ramp and door open at 300 feet over the Indian Ocean, we flew countless missions looking for Bill Eyler. We never found him.
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Coming home
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Home
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LOST WERE..
Captain David J. Melhop - Navigator
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Captain Anthony Stefanik - Fire Control Officer
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Captain Mark A. Quam - Electronic Warfare Officer
Simply known as "Q"
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SSgt William C. Eyler - Sensor Operator
I took this picture as we waited to refuel in Cairo, Egypt. We were on our way to Africa.
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MSgt. Roy S. Duncan - Loadmaster
Roy-Boy, an Illuminator Operator (IO), not a loadmaster according to him.
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TSgt. Robert L. Daniel - Sensor Operator
I took this picture of Bobby-D two days before his plane crashed. He always wore his Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office hat in Africa. We both were volunteers for the Sheriff's Office as Posse members.
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SSgt. Brian P. Barnes - Aerial Gunner
Brian was sitting behind me on the airplane on the way to Africa.
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SSgt. Mike E. Moser - Aerial Gunner
This picture of myself (left) and Mike (right) was taken about a week before his plane crashed. I was his supervisor, he was a close friend.
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Memorial Ceremony in Kenya, Africa.
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Several months later back home, four of the survivors were issued United Nations (U.N.) hats. I had them do the "hear, see, speak, and do no evil." Being around friends and family helped the healing process.
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