Background
On a scheduled flight after takeoff from Shreveport, a twin-engine airplane was cleared to its assigned altitude. The pilot obtained permission to modify the route to avoid a storm. The aircraft then turned east and climbed to an altitude of 41,600 feet, approximately 6,600 feet above the maximum certified altitude for that aircraft type. Shortly thereafter, radio contact with the pilot was lost.
Accident Sequence
In response to the loss of contact, an Air National Guard Convair F-106 Delta Dart fighter aircraft was dispatched to intercept the airplane. The fighter pilot observed the airplane and reported that both occupants appeared to be unconscious. After a few minutes, both engines stopped running due to lack of fuel. The airplane entered a spin and eventually crashed into the Atlantic Ocean approximately 100 miles east of Norfolk, Virginia. Rescue efforts recovered few floating debris, but the main wreckage was never located. The two occupants—the pilot, Louis Benscotter, and the passenger, football and baseball coach Robert Edward 'Bo' Rein, aged 34—were also never found.
Investigation
The investigation into the accident was hampered by the lack of physical evidence. The probable cause, as stated in official findings, is that the exact cause of the accident could not be determined due to lack of evidence. However, the assumption that the accident resulted from a cabin depressurization that caused hypoxia due to a lack of oxygen was not ruled out.