Accident Overview
Shortly after a night takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base, the aircraft climbed to a low altitude. The pilot-in-command initiated a right turn, during which control was lost. The airplane crashed into the sea a few dozen yards offshore and disintegrated on impact.
Crew
The six crew members were en route to Vietnam at the time of the accident. They included Captain Larry Ivan Broadhead (pilot), First Lieutenant Maurice Edward Lundy (copilot), Captain James L. Sipes (navigator), Captain Russell L. Platt (radio navigator), First Lieutenant Thomas R. McCormick (electronic warfare officer), and Master Sergeant Harold B. Deel (air gunner). All were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation could not determine the exact cause of the accident. Investigators considered two plausible scenarios: an intermittent malfunction of the gyrocompass leading to loss of control, or a structural failure of the aircraft. Neither possibility was ruled out.
Probable Cause
The exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, the assumption that the loss of control was the consequence of a gyrocompass intermittent malfunction was not ruled out as well as a structural failure.