On August 28, 1968, a T-28 Trojan (tail number and call sign unknown) carrying a pilot and a passenger departed Vientiane, Laos, on an administrative flight to Udorn Royal Air Force Base, Thailand. Shortly after take-off the aircraft banked left and crashed into the Mekong River approximately two miles southeast of Vientiane. A responding rescue team located parts of the aircraft in the vicinity of (GC) TE 450 875. However, searchers were unable to locate the bodies of the pilot and his passenger, even after using scuba divers to search the river.

Major Robert Charles Miller, who joined the U.S. Air Force from California, served with Detachment 1, 56th Special Operations Wing. He was the pilot of the Trojan when it crashed, and his remains were not recovered. Today, Major Miller 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.

If you are a family member of this serviceman, DPAA can provide you with additional information and analysis of your case. Please contact your casualty office representative.