Thao Ma confided his plan for launching a coup to the assistant air attaché at Savannakhet. At dawn on 21 October, the coup was launched. The assistant air attaché warned the Air Attaché in Vientiane of the impending attack on the capital. Kouprasith and Oudone fled RLA headquarters just prior to the bombing run. Nor was this the only obstacle to coup success. Colonel Bounleut Saycocie failed to bring the bribe fund from Vang Pao. Nouphet and his regiment failed to arrest Ouane and Bounthone. The regiment to be airlifted stood down under orders from a superior officer. However, eight AT-28s launched from Savannakhet and cut across the Kingdom of Thailand's air space to attack Vientiane. The Royal Thai Air Force alerted; they put interceptors in the air. All U.S. Air Force missions over Laos were momentarily cancelled by General William Momyer; they scrambled F-102 interceptors. At 0830 hours, even as Thao Ma radioed a communique that Ouane had been detained, the AT-28s struck a gun park, two munitions depots, the Royal Lao Army headquarters, and Kouprasith's villa. The gun park and a nearby communications center suffered at least 23 dead.Anthony, Sexton, pp. 207–209.
