Incident
An airplane was cruising at an altitude of 14,000 feet at night while approaching the Louisiana coast when it disappeared from radar screens and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico approximately 30 miles east of Pilottown. Intensive sea and air searches the following morning recovered nine floating bodies and a small amount of floating debris. No conclusive evidence was found to determine the origin of the accident. The main wreckage has not been located despite multiple well-planned searches.
Communications and Crew
There was no radio message indicating impending trouble nor any distress call from the crew prior to the accident. The crew was deemed competent at the time of departure.
Aircraft Condition
The aircraft was airworthy at departure. No operational or maintenance item was identified that could reasonably be linked to the accident. Weather conditions were good, and the flight was very close to being both on course and on schedule when the disaster occurred.
Investigation and Evidence
The investigation relied almost entirely on circumstantial evidence as the aircraft's wreckage remains on the bottom of the Gulf. Little physical evidence exists to explain the accident. Fire marks on the bodies and debris were of the type caused exclusively by a flash surface fire, probably both hot and brief, upon impact with the water. Because of the lack of physical evidence, the probable cause of this accident remains unknown.