Flight Mission
The aircraft departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana at 1500 local time on a training flight to Kenneth Ingalls Sawyer Air Force Base (K. I. Sawyer AFB) in Wisconsin. The purpose of the mission was to test the performance of a new ground reconnaissance radar.
Accident
While cruising at low altitude during night flight, the aircraft struck trees, stalled, and crashed in a dense wooded area located south of Stone Lake. The aircraft was totally destroyed in the impact.
Crew
All nine crew members on board were killed. The crew consisted of:
- Captain Curtis E. Robertson, pilot
- First Lieutenant Darrick R. Negron, copilot
- Lieutenant Colonel Jack Atherton, pilot instructor
- Captain Edward E. Kamph, radio navigator
- First Lieutenant Jerome P. Calligari, navigator
- Major James H. Crook, navigator instructor
- Captain Michael J. Dunlap, early warning operator
- Airman First Class Gerald D. Turney, air gunner
- Master Sergeant Lonnie Woodard, flight engineer