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The plane lifted into the darkness, bound for disaster. Just beyond the field's edge, the right wing dipped; men on the ground saw its green starboard light go down slowly, then sharply, had a swift vision of the pilots fighting for control over what seemed a power failure. Cocoa was gone; its right wing dug into the ground as its uplifted left wing snapped into high tension wires strung 70 ft. above the ground. About 45 seconds after the big aircraft had begun rolling, it skittered through fields, bounced across the Massachusetts Turnpike, exploded with a shattering roar. A fireball rose in the night; the overcast trapped the light and held it until it turned a dark orange. The crew, the general, the observers, the newsmen—died instantly. Men on the flight line at Westover froze into a stunned shock for an instant, then sprang to rescue stations. Screeching fire trucks and ambulances, their red lights blinking eerily, roared away from the flight line; but there was no rescue. In flat disciplined tones, the Westover control tower operator ordered the fourth KC-135, already set for the mission—and, with Cocoa, scheduled for a nonstop round-trip to London—to return to the flight line.
Of all recent Air Force disasters, the crash of the KC-135 puzzled investigators most. In the nearly two years it has been in operation, the big (more than 250,000 Ibs., full loaded) jet tanker has met and passed every performance requirement set down for it, broken longstanding flight records, never been in a major accident. This kind of performance encouraged Boeing in its plans to produce a commercial version of the KC-135 (some of which will be in operation by major airlines by the end of the year), and encouraged the Air Force's Special Air Missions squadron to assign three passenger models to Washington for use by the President and other top U.S. dignitaries.
Almost forgotten in the week's tragic news was the fact that Alpha and Bravo both landed in England after record-breaking crossings. The time, covering 3,442 miles: 5 hr. 27 min. 42.8 sec.—or an average 630.02 m.p.h.—for Alpha; 5 hr. 29 min. 37.4 sec. for Bravo.
Said saddened Air Force Chief of Staff Tommy White, referring to the newsmen who died on Cocoa: "We share with them the conquest of time and space. They share with us the dangers of that conquest . . . The men who observe and report the achievements of science and skill ... are partners in these achievements. They are also partners in the sacrifices that are sometimes the price of progress."