BYTHEWAY, FRANK L.
Name: Frank L. Bytheway Rank/Branch: Civilian Unit: NAS Cubi Point Date of Birth: Home City of Record: Date of Loss: 02 October 1969 Country of Loss: North Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 175402N 1073602E Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered Category: 5 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: C2A "Trader" Cargo Aircraft Refno: 2004
Other Personnel In Incident: Terry L. Beck; Richard W. Bell; Michael L. Bowman; Rolando C. Dayao; Donald C. Dean; Herbert H. Dilger; Carl J. Ellerd; James J. Fowler; Roy G. Fowler; Leonardo M. Gan; Paul E. Gore; William D. Gorsuch; Rayford J. Hill; Delvin L. Kohler; Howard M. Koslosky; Robert B. Leonard; Richard A. Livingston; Ronald W. Montgomery; William R. Moore; Paul K. Moser; Kenneth M. Prentice; Fidel G. Salazar; Keavin L. Terrell; Michael J. Tye; Reynaldo R. Viado
REMARKS:
Source: Compiled from one or more of the following: raw data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, interviews. Updated by the P.O.W. NETWORK 2001.
SYNOPSIS: Frank L. Bytheway was a civilian working at Cubi Point Naval Air Station. On October 2, 1969 a C2A "Trader" cargo aircraft from Reserve Cargo Squadron 50 was transferring crewmen from the Naval Air Station Cubi Point, Republic of the Philippines to the USS Constellation on station in the Gulf of Tonkin. Frank Bytheway was a passenger on the aircraft.
The C2A was inbound and in the hands of the marshall air controller up to 10 nautical miles from the ship when it went off the radar scopes. Helicopter search and rescue was initiated from the ship. The helicopter began sighting an oil slick and debris. No bodies were found of the 26 crew and passengers. Recovered debris indicated that the aircraft was in a releatively high speed nose down, right wing down impact with the water or a possible right wing failure before impact.
Frank Bytheway is listed as a non-battle death, body not recovered. He was not carried on the military lists of missing until April 2001.
====================================== National League of Families 04/10/01
DOD today informed the League that the remains of five Americans, listed as missing in North Vietnam since October 20, 1968, were identified and returned to their families. Jointly recovered on February 14, 1995, the remains were accepted by the NOK as identified on March 28th of this year. DOD has not yet announced the names of these US Army personnel. In addition, the remains of a US Army private, whose name was not previously on the list of unaccounted for Americans, were recovered on April 6th, 1998, and accepted by the families on October 3rd of last year. Finally, Mr. Frank Bytheway, a civilian lost in a US Navy incident on October 2, 1969, has been added to the list of Americans still unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. The result of these adjustments and corrections is that the number now missing and unaccounted for in Vietnam is 1,489, with 418 in Laos, 67 in Cambodia and 8 in the territorial waters of the PRC. Over 90% of the 1,982 Americans still missing and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War were lost in areas under Vietnam's wartime control. The names of all involved will be on this update line as soon as released by the Defense Department, providing the respective families concur.