What happened
During a joint maritime survey operation over the Pacific Ocean, two US Navy aircraft were involved in a fatal mid-air collision. The mission involved the primary aircraft and a second USN Orion, identified by registration 159325, which was operating with a crew of 13. Both aircraft were flying at a cruising altitude of 3,000 feet when the impact occurred.
At the time of the accident, the flight was operating in marginal weather conditions. Following the collision, both aircraft crashed into the sea. Search efforts located small amounts of debris floating on the ocean surface approximately 60 miles southwest of San Diego. Despite the search, all 27 crew members were reported missing and were never recovered.
Findings
- The collision took place while both aircraft were in the cruise phase of flight.
- Marginal weather conditions were present during the mission.
- The incident resulted in 27 fatalities with no survivors found.