What happened
A flight originating from RAF Lakenheath, destined for McGuire AFB with a scheduled stop at Lajes in the Azores Islands, disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. During the cruise phase of the flight at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the crew provided a routine position report to Air Traffic Control at 20:55 local time, indicating that operations were normal.
Approximately one hour and fifteen minutes later, at 22:10 local time, the aircraft lost control. The plane impacted the ocean surface approximately 590 km southwest of Land's End, Cornwall, UK. No distress signals were transmitted by the crew prior to the impact. Search efforts recovered small pieces of wreckage, including a nose wheel and life vests.
Findings
The accident resulted in 59 fatalities, with no survivors reported among the occupants. While the official cause remains under investigation, recovered debris exhibited evidence of fire damage. No specific aircraft registration was provided in the initial reports.