The United States Ambassador to Thailand, Sean K. O’Neill, travelled to Lampang province on 9 March to monitor a long-running mission to locate the wreckage of a US military aircraft and its missing pilot from the Second World War. The search focuses on an area of Doi Farang near Ban Sai Tai in Mueang district, believed to be the crash site of a US fighter plane in November 1944. The effort aims to recover evidence that could help return the remains of the missing American serviceman to his family.
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O’Neill was accompanied by Keely Cummins, the US Consul General in Chiang Mai and a delegation of American and Thai officials. They were welcomed by Lampang Deputy Governor Patchara Simasutthian, along with the mayor of Phichai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, officials from Khun Tan National Park, and other relevant agencies.
The visit formed part of a humanitarian mission involving representatives from both countries, including officials from the Royal Thai Air Force, historians specialising in wartime studies, and a recovery team from the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). The agency is responsible for locating and identifying American personnel missing from past conflicts.
Ambassador O’Neill expressed gratitude to Thailand for its continued cooperation in the search effort. He emphasised that the United States remains committed to fulfilling its pledge to bring home service members who never returned from war.
“The United States has never forgotten our heroes who were lost, and we will leave no one behind,” he said. “We have a mission to search for every American who went missing while serving the nation, to honour our promise to families who have waited decades for answers. We thank Thailand for assisting in this important humanitarian mission.”
Major Brian Wagner, a member of the American search team, said the operation to locate the missing pilot has been ongoing for more than 45 years with support from Thai and US authorities. Historical records indicate that a US P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft was shot down over mountainous terrain in Lampang during a wartime mission, leaving the pilot missing and presumed killed at the scene.
For more than 80 years, US agencies have continued efforts to locate traces of the pilot. Cooperation with Thai authorities and local experts eventually led to the identification of a suspected crash site in late 2018, prompting several field surveys in the area.
Recent excavations have uncovered fragments of aircraft wreckage and equipment believed to be linked to the missing pilot. These discoveries represent significant progress in the mission to gather evidence that could confirm the pilot’s identity and enable his remains to be returned to his family and homeland.
Matichon reported that investigators will now conduct further analysis of the recovered materials to determine whether they can establish the pilot’s identity. Additional searches may also be carried out at the site as part of the continuing effort to resolve the decades-old case.
Pictures courtesy of Matichon
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Matichon 10 Mar 2026