54 years later: Missing Vietnam pilot, North Carolina native accounted for

WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced Saturday that U.S. Air Force Capt. Frederick M. Hall, 25, of Waynesville, North Carolina is now accounted for.

Hall was a member of the 390th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

The search dates back to April 12, 1969 when 1st Lt. Hall was navigating a flight returning from a canceled strike mission near the Quang Nam Province of South Vietnam when the aircraft ascended into heavy cloud cover.

The lead aircraft noticed Hall’s plane couldn’t be seen and after an aerial search, Hall’s plane couldn’t be found.

Multiple search and rescue missions between 1995 and 2020 were unsuccessful meanwhile Hall was promoted to Captain while in a missing status.

In March 2021 a recovery mission conducted by the host nation found possible remains and material evidence which was then sent to the DPAA lab for identification.

DPAA used anthropological analysis, material evidence, and DNA analysis to identify Hall’s remains.

A rosette will be placed next to Hall’s name on the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the American Battle Monuments Commission’s Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu to indicate he has been accounted for.

Hall will be buried in Waynesville, N.C. on October 10.

To see Hall’s personal profile click HERE.

If you are a family member of Captain Hall click HERE to contact your casualty office representative.

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