What happened
A flight originating in Indiana, Pennsylvania, was traveling toward South Africa when the crew performed a refueling stop in Florida before proceeding to Brazil. Following a departure from Recife-Guararapes Airport, the aircraft was navigating toward Libreville, Gabon. While positioned approximately 150 km away from the coast, the crew contacted air traffic control to report their location. After receiving clearance to climb to FL150, the aircraft disappeared from radar.
In response to the loss of contact, search and rescue operations were launched through a joint effort between Brazilian and South African authorities. A Lockheed C-130 Hercules was deployed to assist in the search. The mission extended toward Ascension Island, but after three days of unsuccessful searching, the crew of the search aircraft returned to South Africa. Despite the intensive efforts, no wreckage or debris was located, and there is no trace of the two fatalities involved in the disappearance.