Remains of air crew lost over Laos in Vietnam War identified

WASHINGTON – The remains of three air crew members who were lost during a resupply mission over Laos during the Vietnam War have been identified, more than 47 years after they were killed.

In October 1997, a Joint U.S.-Lao People’s Democratic Republic team received information about a possible crash site. In late 2017, recovery teams found possible human remains and personal items. Further testing identified the three men:

—Pilot George L. Ritter, 49, of Philadelphia.

—Co-pilot Roy F. Townley, 52, of Ontario, California.

—Edward J. Weissenback, 29, of Richmond Hill, Queens, New York.

The three were on an Air America flight for the U.S. Agency for International Development, flying from Thailand to Xaignabouli Province, Laos. It went down on Dec. 27, 1971, near Syaboury, Laos. A search for the crew was unsuccessful.