After takeoff from Ramey AFB, Aguadilla, while climbing to a height of 3,000 feet, the airplane adopted a nose-down attitude then plunged into the sea off Jobos Beach. Three crew members who were able to bail out before impact were found alive while four others were killed. The aircraft was destroyed. Crew: Cpt Donald Foster, pilot, † Cpt Erwin Cowart, copilot, † Cpt Taivo Patajan, navigator, 1st Lt Paul Grimm, navigator, 1st Lt Richard St. George, EWO, † S/Sgt Leroy Spencer, crew Chief, † T/Sgt Ronald Hagis, gunner.
Probable cause (official findings): It was determined that a life raft stowed behind the copilot inflated during initial climb, pushing him into the control column.