On August 31, three pilots from the ORISKANY were shot down on a particularly wild raid over Haiphong. The Air Wing had been conducting strikes on Haiphong for two consecutive days. On this, the third day, ten aircraft launched in three flights; four from VA 164 (call sign Ghostrider), four from VA 163 (call sign Old Salt) and two from VA 163. As the flight turned to go into Haiphong, one of
the section leaders spotted two SAMs lifting off from north of Haiphong. They were headed towards the Saints section leader and the Ghostrider section leader, LCDR Richard C. Perry.

The Saints section leader and his wingman pitched up and to the right, while Old Salt 3 (LCDR Hugh A. Stafford) turned down, his wingman, LTJG David J. Carey close behind him. Carey, an Air Force Academy graduate, was on his first operational mission. The missile detonated right in front of them and aircraft pieces went everywhere.

The other SAM headed towards Perry's section, and he had frozen in the cockpit. All three planes in the division pulled away, and he continued straight and level. His helpless flightmates watched as the missile came right up and hit the aircraft. The aircraft was generally whole and heading for open water.

Old Salt Three and Old Salt Four, Stafford and Carey, had by that time ejected from their ruined planes and were heading towards the ground from an altitude of 3,000 to 4,000 feet. Both were okay, but Stafford had landed in a tree near a village, making rescue impossible. Carey had landed about a mile away near a small village. Stafford and Carey were captured and held in various prisoner of war camps until their release in Operation Homecoming on March 14, 1973.

Richard Perry had also ejected and was over open water. But as Perry entered the water, his parachute went flat and he did not come up. A helicopter was on scene within minutes, and a crewman went into the water after Perry. He had suffered massive chest wounds, either in the aircraft or during descent in his parachute and was dead. To recover his body was too dangerous because the North Vietnamese
were mortaring the helicopter. The helicopter left the area. Richard Perry's remains were recovered by the Vietnamese and held until February 1987, at which time they were returned to U.S. control.

Flight members were outraged that they had lost three pilots to SAMs that they were forbidden to attack. Policy was soon changed to allow the pilots to strike the sites, although never to the extent that they were disabled completely.

On October 7, 1967, VA 164 pilot LT David L. Hodges was killed when his Skyhawk was hit by a SAM about twelve miles southwest of Hanoi. His remains were never recovered and he is listed among those missing in Vietnam.

On October 18, 1967, VA 164 pilot LCDR John F. Barr was killed when his Skyhawk was hit by enemy fire and slammed into the ground while on a strike mission at Haiphong. Barr's remains were not recovered.
On November 2, 1967, VA 164 pilot LTJG Frederic Knapp launched as the lead of a flight of two air