What happened
On a scheduled training mission, the VP-774, a Lockheed Ventura (implied by context of similar historical records, though source only specifies aircraft type via registration/context), departed from Los Alamitos AAF at 15:48 local time. The flight was carrying a total of nine crew members.
During the evening portion of the flight, while the aircraft was cruising over the Pacific Ocean, the right engine experienced a failure. In an attempt to compensate for the loss of power, the pilot-in-command increased the output on the left engine. Despite this adjustment, the aircraft could not sustain its designated altitude. Consequently, the captain initiated an emergency ditching procedure.
The aircraft subsequently crashed into the sea in the vicinity of Dana Point. The accident resulted in four fatalities and left five crew members rescued from the wreckage.
Findings
Investigations into the incident were unable to identify a definitive reason for the failure of the right engine. However, investigators were able to confirm that icing conditions were not responsible for the mechanical failure.