Following an uneventful refuelling mission of a Boeing B-47, the Stratotanker was returning to its base at Homestead, south Florida, some 1,125 km from its position. It was flying with a second USAF Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker registered 61-0319 and carrying a crew of six. The first KC-135 was flying at an altitude of 36,000 feet while the second was following at an altitude of 35,500 feet. En route, both airplanes went into a low pressure area and apparently collided. All contacts were lost at 1230LT. SAR operations were conducted and some debris were found a day later some 480 km west of Bermuda. All 11 crew members were killed.
Probable cause (official findings): Due to the lack of evidences, the exact cause of the accident could not be determined with certainty. However, it is believed that both Stratotanker collided in flight, maybe following a loss of speed and altitude from the first aircraft after it encountered downdraft or atmospheric turbulences.