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Why Sergeant Meyer stole C-130E Hercules in 1969, and why he disappeared?

HC-130
(Picture I)

https://pimeakronikka.blogspot.fi/p/why-sergeant-meyer-stole-c-130e.html

Kimmo Huosionmaa

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/a-stolen-military-plane-in-1969.html

In 1969 at Great Britain one man stole an aircraft and then flew it somewhere, and this man Sergeant Meyer didn't ever found. The aircraft, what this Sergeant stole was C-130E and this thing is quite mysterious. The story itself is behind the links on above and below the text, and you might read that story from those articles. But here I must say, that there are many strange things, what makes this case so interesting.


C-130's  were used in some top secret missions in Vietnam, and one of those missions were used that airplane as the  gunship, another was electronic intelligence and the last one was using that aircraft as the launch platform for "Firebee" drones, and they also dropped  BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" bombs to the Vietnamese targets. Also, those airplanes gave airborne refueling for combat helicopters like MH-53 Super Jolly Green Giants, what were used in special air rescue missions.  If that Meyer took part in those operations, that would cause the violence in that man, because PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) causes that kind of symptoms, like violation and headache.

MH-53 takes refueling from HC-130
(Picture II) 


The first question, what we would perhaps ask from sergeant Meyer, would be where that man believed to go with that airplane? He stole that C-130 playing captain, but there is one thing, what we must handle. This is, that there might be very strange that captain rank officer would order gasoline for the overseas flight by using C-130. Of course, Meyer introduced himself as the captain of service crew, and in this case, the role, what that man took was the material officer.


In that article is claiming that Meyer was going to home to his stepchildren, but that meeting ever happened. Meyer was lost during this flight, and that was of course very stressful for his family. Meyer had two commands to Vietnam before that flight, and then some people believed, that man was under the emotional stress. He was drinking too much in his last evening, and that caused problems in the military base and outside it, and the problems began, when Meyer drunk too much in some parties, and then became violent. This would have something to do with that man's Vietnam duties, but if that sergeant was only the chief of the ground crew or technical crew, why would he got symptoms, what are common in combat veterans.

DC-130 with "Firebee drones"
(Picture III)


So was Meyer took part of actions of flight group "Commando Vault", and AC-130 gunship missions in Vietnam. When we are thinking about those operations that flight group destroyed million of North Vietnamese trucks in Ho Chi-Minh road. If Meyer was the member of SOCOM (Special Operations Command) that man could be played lower rank, what he actually had. And here comes very good question about that Sergeant. Where did he learn to fly that C-130E? Normally all pilots of the aircraft are actually officers, and if Meyer was some SOCOM or intelligence specialist, that man could actually fly his plane straight to home.


And another mission, where that man could serve were electronic intelligence missions, where the platform, what was used was C-130 "Hercules", what was equipped with electronic intelligence equipment, and the mission of those systems was to record the signals what North-Vietnamese radars send.  Also, C-130E was used in that time top secret drone-missions, where radio-controlled "Firebee" drones send to photograph North-Vietnamese military bases. Those early drones were highly classified, and the operations of those planes were also out of public eye. So if Meyer took part in those operations, that would explain strange disappearing of that man.


For the reason of lost that man and the plane was claimed to be that USAF shot down the C-130 and the man, who stole it. But if they did that, was the reason, because of some of those missions were illegal, and Meyer wanted to keep silent? Or did he just an ordinary sergeant, who just lost control of the C-130? But also the reason for shooting that plane down could be that somebody was afraid that Meyer would try to dive his plane in some house like The Parliament of Great Britain or White House. And that action could be made because saving the innocent lives. And this is only speculation. There is no evidence about that kind of orders, and also that Meyer involved some "Air Commando" operations in Vietnam is also speculation.

Sources:

http://peteralanlloyd.com/the-use-of-drones-during-the-vietnam-war/

https://theaviationist.com/2014/07/28/ac-130-vietnam-war/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLU-82

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Firebee

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/a-stolen-military-plane-in-1969.html

Picture I

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/1200px-us_airforce_hc-130-741x521.jpg

Picture II
https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/images/hc-130-dvic192.jpg

Picture III

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/DC-130H_Hercules_drone_control_with_a_pair_of_AQM-34_Firebee.JPEG

https://pimeakronikka.blogspot.fi/p/why-sergeant-meyer-stole-c-130e.html

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