Austin, Ellis Ernest, CDR

On April 22, 1966, a two-plane flight of A-6A aircraft left the aircraft carrier USS Kittyhawk to strike a coastal target near the mouth of an inland waterway in North Vietnam. The target, an enemy supply area, was heavily defended by anti-aircraft artillary, automatic weapons and small arms.

During the flight, the wingman broke away to investigate a barge, and notified Cdr. Jack E. Keller, the pilot of the other A-6A, that he was having an ordinance malfunction and was proceeding to Hon Mat Island, less than 15 miles away, so that he could dump the remainder of his bombload safely. 

While the wingman was discharging his bombload, he heard a missile warning, but had no knowledge that a missile had been fired. Keller conducted a radio check with both his wingman and the E-2 Command and Control aircraft to confirm that the E-2 held them on radar. The wingman advised Keller that he would hold clear of the target and wait for Keller to finish his bombing run. Keller acknowledged. Keller and his backseater, Ellis Austin, continued on their run.

That was the last anyone heard from Keller and Austin. The wingman later stated that he saw a bright flash as he was heading away from the beach which he assumed to be a bomb explosion. Both he and the E-2 tried to contact Keller and his backseater, but were unsuccessful. The E-2 had lost Keller from radar.

An aerial search was conducted immediately with no visual or radio signals received by any of the search aircraft. Both men were carried in MIA status until June 1974, when their status was changed to killed under a presumptive finding of death.

Austin was a 25-year career Navy officer, and had only two weeks left before he was scheduled to return home to his wife and three children.