What happened
On a mission originating from Langley AFB, an aircraft began its journey toward Lajes in the Azores Islands at 11:17 local time. The flight was part of a larger survey mission involving multiple aircraft. Following the departure, the crew maintained contact with ground stations until approximately 13:30 local time, which marked the final radio communication received from the flight.
When the plane failed to reach its destination in the Azores, an extensive search and rescue operation was initiated. This effort included various patrol flights covering a massive area of roughly 705,000 square kilometers. Despite several days of intensive monitoring and searching by multiple aircraft, no wreckage or debris was located. It is estimated that the plane went down in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 400 km east of the United States coastline.
Findings
Extensive search operations were eventually halted after thousands of flight hours were dedicated to the mission without any trace of the aircraft or its crew being discovered. Because no physical evidence was recovered from the ocean floor or the surface, investigators were unable to establish a definitive reason for the disappearance.