15 August 1969 – Capt Humberto Robles Hernandez was born on February 28, 1941, and lived in Mesa, AZ. He had enlisted with the Air Force and had been flying in B-52s with SAC at Minot AFB, North Dakota before his Vietnam tour began on January 5, 1969. He was assigned to the 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron/3rd TFW/7th Air Force out of Bien Hoa AB.
On August 16, 1969, F-100 #563283 experienced an “APPARENT CONTROL MALFUNCTION” on takeoff from the base. According to eyewitnesses to the incident, on takeoff, his aircraft experienced a mechanical problem which made it bank sharply to the left. Captain Hernandez blew the canopy, ejected, but didn’t have the altitude nor the trajectory for the chute to open. He was killed on impact with the ground.
Humberto Robles Hernandez is buried or memorialized at City of Mesa Cemetery, Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona.
Humberto is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC, and his name is inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 19w, Line 42.
Sources: Dewey’s list, TogtherWeServed, HonorStates.org