The aircraft departed Bengasi, Libya at approximately 07:30 AM on August 1, 1943, as part of the low-level mission against the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The plane was from the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. The aircraft crashed at approximately 4:00 PM, approximately 15 miles southwest of Bucharest, Romania. At the time of the crash the plane was entirely in flames, with the exception of part of the tail. The aircraft exploded approximately 30 seconds after striking the ground. No crew members bailed out. The co-pilot (Bassett) reported that the bombardier and navigator were believed killed in the crash as both were in the nose of the plane. The radio operator was killed by enemy fighter action before the crash. The engineer, tail gunner, and top turret gunner were also believed to have died in the crash. Romanian authorities subsequently reported one man died; the method of identification was unknown.