What happened
On a scheduled 15-hour training mission originating from RAF St Eval, two military aircraft departed at 10:20 LT. The first aircraft, an Avro Shackleton MR.2 with registration WG531, was followed six minutes later by a second aircraft. Both planes were operated by the 42nd Squadron and carried nine crew members each.
At 20:58 LT, radio communications from the aircraft ceased. Two minutes after this final contact, both aircraft vanished from radar simultaneously. Extensive search and rescue operations were launched to locate the missing planes and their personnel; however, all efforts were eventually halted after several days when no wreckage or survivors were located. The total number of fatalities was 18.
Over a decade later, a discovery was made approximately 75 miles north of the suspected impact area when a fisherman recovered engine number four from a Shackleton registered WL743. This piece of debris provided the first physical evidence related to the incident.
Findings
Official investigations were unable to confirm the precise reason for the disappearance due to a lack of conclusive evidence. However, investigators concluded that the most likely scenario was an in-flight collision occurring during a period of limited visibility.